Hunger
by golden.rebels
Summary: His nose was at the hollow of my neck as he breathed me in, his breath dancing across the sensitive flesh. "You like this." He said, his lips brushing against me in a way that made me squirm. "I know you do." I swallowed hard. Oh God, did I ever. Eric/OC
1. Katerina

"_Sometimes I'm terrified of my heart; of its constant hunger for whatever it is it wants. The way it stops and starts." _

_-_Edgar Allan Poe

"Make sure she can't see anything!" Andrea cried out with a loud laugh as she drove down the dark road.

I quietly shook my head and rested my head on the window beside me blindly. "I have a blindfold on, Andy." I muttered, my tone oozing with both boredom and annoyance. It was my twenty-first birthday and as a treat a few friends were driving me…somewhere. I knew it was going to be a bar, or at least I hoped it was going to be a bar considering I was legal age in all fifty states now, but I never knew with them.

They'd called me three hours prior and told me to _look killer_. So, with little hesitation, I threw on my little red dress and a pair of booty heels. I was already quite tall to begin with, standing around five foot nine on flat feet, so with my heels I stood just under six feet. The dress I chose to wear was tight and showed off quite a bit of leg. It was a modest neckline, showing just a tiny bit of cleavage in the front before it swooped down quite low in the back; making the two tattoos I had quite noticeable. I left my long dark brown hair down in loose waves, threw on a bit of eyeliner, mascara and lipstick, and was ready to go in no time.

Unfortunately, due to Andrea's driving, it had taken us over an hour to get wherever we were. She'd stopped to stock herself up on some Tru Blood – apparently it made humans more delectable to Vampires or something, I don't know. She was what they call a _Fangbanger, _quite a few of my friends were, but I never saw the appeal. Sex with a Vampire and sex with a normal man couldn't be _that_ different, could it?

"Where are we going?" I asked quietly, hating the fact that I could only see black. "It's way too hot with this thing on my face."

"No!" Andrea squealed with a laugh. "We're only a few minutes away."

I sighed and once again let my head lull back onto the window. I had a bad feeling they were taking me to Fangtasia, and if that were the case I was tempted to throw myself out of the car. I knew how this was going to go. They were each going to find a Vampire to have their fun with, and I was going to be the Debbie Downer of our bunch and drink my life away.

I was all for equal rights and I didn't mind having Vampire's around, but the idea of being so fragile in comparison to a Vampire gave me shivers. It was a little over five years ago that a Vampire attacked my family. I was the only one left alive and it was only because a second Vampire, a woman with eyes darker than coals, came into the picture and dropped me off in the Emergency Room. I wanted to hate them after that but found, for the most part, it was nearly impossible. One savage Vampire had taken my family away in one fell swoop, but another had saved me just seconds later. There was good and bad to all races, humans and Vampire's alike.

"And we're here!"

The car came to a halt at her words and for a blissful millisecond, silence surrounded me. I quickly pushed the blindfold up my face and let it rest on my forehead as I took in my surroundings. Fangtasia – I knew it. "Is this a joke?" Were the first words out of my mouth as I fell back into my seat. "Fangtasia?"

"Do you love it?" Suzette asked with a large smile as she toyed with her short blonde hair. "We thought you'd want a break from Merlotte's!" she said with a laugh. I'd been working at Merlotte's for a little more than four months and yet I would prefer to curl up at the bar with a nice beer than be here. "Andy and I were here a couple weeks ago, there are a ton of babes in there."

I bit my tongue and hopped out of the stuffy car, throwing the blindfold back into the car. Instantly I stood inches taller than both Andrea and Suzette who were only about five foot four. "Great," I muttered, but no excitement dripped from my stale words. I was already wishing I took my own car; I would be stranded at the end of the night because of these girls. Andrea was the first to grab my wrist and practically drag me to the long line of people waiting to get inside. However, when I noticed that she was pulling me past all of the people and to the front of the line, I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What are you doing?" I asked, noticing all of the angry glares we were receiving for bypassing the line.

"Relax," Suzette said, her lazy drawl taking over her speech as per usual. "Last time we were here we were told by a few of the Vampire's working here that we could skip the line and go right inside."

"You're pissing a lot of people off, Suzette." I told her. "Who cares if we have to wait in line?"

But it was too late, they'd dragged me far enough up that we stood like three idiots at the very front of the line. There was a woman with long hair dressed in all pink talking to one of the bouncers, but upon noticing us standing there, she turned to face us. At first she looked annoyed, but as her eyes danced over each one of us, a slow almost devious smile broke the thin line of her lips.

"Hi," Andrea said with her best attempt at a purr. "Do you remember us?"

"No," was her retort. The woman's eyes skimmed directly over Andrea and landed on me. She smirked devilishly and licked her lips. I shifted uncomfortably under her stare but stood my ground.

Suzette's smile faltered slightly. "You don't? We came up to you and some other guy and asked if Eric could feed from us."

My blood ran cold at this. "You actually asked them that?" I asked with a small shake of my head. "Have some self respect," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. I took one last look at the woman only to see she was still smirking across at me. "Anyway, she obviously doesn't remember you guys, so let's just go to the back of the line." I turned on my heel to walk away but wasn't able to get any more than a foot away before her voice rang out.

"Wait," the woman said, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. I slowly turned back around to face her only to see both Andrea and Suzette's eyes were wide as quarters. She took a few steps towards me and gave me the up-down. "You have ID?" she asked placing her hands on her hips.

I blinked, but brought out my licence in a flash. She looked at the picture for a moment before looking back up at me. "It's your birthday today, Katerina Prekovich."

"I know," I said quietly, shoving the license back into my purse.

The blonde's smirk only grew before she nodded her head. "You may go in." She said, walking back over towards the bouncer. Andrea and Suzette grinned and were about to show her their own ID's, but she only looked at them as if they'd grown two heads. She raised a single eyebrow at them before an amused chuckle escaped her plump lips. "_She_ may go in; you two can go to the back of the line."

My jade eyes widened in shock as I turned to face their scowling faces. "It's okay, I can wait with them…"

"Nonsense." The woman cut in before giving me a little shove inside of the club. I didn't even have a chance to take a look back at my friends before the woman was at my side once again. "Happy Birthday, Katerina." She said before walking off, disappearing into the large crowd of people and Vampire's.

I blinked and immediately felt slightly awkward. I could feel a few sets of eyes on me as I lingered around, but as soon as my eyes caught sight of the bar, I was there within seconds. I pushed my way through a crowd that looked a little _too_ into S&M and quietly rejoiced upon seeing the bartender. He looked up at me curiously but a smirk broke across his lips instantly. "Can I get a whiskey sour?" I asked, ignoring the obvious glimmer behind his dead eyes.

He nodded and left me to make the drink. I took this time to actually look around now that I wasn't in the way of anyone trying to dance. The place itself was pretty nice, a little too literal in regards to its overbearing red walls, but it wasn't the worst club I'd stepped foot in. There were dancers on elevated stages, moving their bodies to the quick beat of the song playing around them. I knew they were Vampire's by the way they carried themselves; their movements were quick and yet held a fluidity that made me wish I had even an ounce of dancing experience.

I noticed the woman from outside walk past one of the dancers. She was walking towards the elevated stage at the back of the club, swaying her hips in a way that drew quite a few onlookers. That was when I saw _him_. He was just sitting in the middle of the stage, his stare fixated on the crowd below him. His looked bored but even then sex just seemed to ooze from his demeanour. He was evidently tall, that I could tell even as he sat in his chair, and had broad, squared off shoulders. His strong jaw was locked and his lips were pulled into a thin hard line as his blue eyes fell over the crowd below him. His blonde hair was pushed away from his pale face, making his presence seem even more intense. He was definitely an old Vampire - that much I could tell.

The blonde woman walked across the stage until she stood by his side. For a moment neither said a single word to one another, in fact, they didn't even seem to look at one another. Her gaze, much like his, was cast down at the crowd, but the smirk she wore on her lips was quite obvious. Her eyes skimmed over every face in the club all before landing on me. I blinked stupidly but didn't bother to look away from the woman. I watched as she subtly placed her hand on top of the blonde man's shoulder before she took a seat beside him. His gaze finally lifted off of the customers of Fangtasia and on to the woman's. She said something to him, that smirk never leaving her face. I furrowed my eyebrows at them, still not bothering to look away from the scene before me.

The man's lips remained perfectly still, but I couldn't help but watch as he slowly, as if in slow motion, turned his head to face me. The second his eyes caught mine it was as if a fire erupted beneath my skin. His stare didn't change much, but upon noticing my obvious ogling, a single eyebrow shot up in what looked to be amusement.

"Your drink."

I snapped my head away from the stage and back to the bartender. He was looking down at the counter, holding my drink out to me as if I'd forgotten all about it. "Thanks," I muttered as I handed him a five. Truth be told, I was glad to have this distraction. I could almost feel my guards slip away the second his eyes met mine and that was not a good feeling. I was no virgin, but I was definitely not going to stoop as low as Andrea and Suzette.

I took a seat in the stool beside me and swirled the black straw around mindlessly. _Where the hell were Andy and Suzette?_ I asked myself, turning around to face the door in hopes that I'd see the two familiar faces. When all I saw was more Vampires piling into the club, a quiet sigh escaped my lips.

I continued to sip at my drink, staring blankly down at the mahogany finish of the bar anxiously. I could feel a set of eyes on me and it made every single tiny hair on my body stand alert. I knew where the stare was coming from, and every fibre of my being was screaming at me to ignore it but I couldn't. I finally lifted my gaze off of the bar and looked towards the stage._ His_ eyes were still on me only now he wore a smirk. The knot in the pit of my stomach lurched and I nearly had to clamp my legs together to stop the want. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion before turning back towards my drink.

For a few minutes I ignored his gaze and let my head bob to the music pounding the walls around me. That was until I felt someone's finger trace down my bare back, their calloused fingers trailing down my spine. I immediately snapped my head to my right only to see another Vampire staring down at me. He was handsome, but compared to the man on the stage just behind him, he was miniscule. "You smell amazing," he said, leaning into me towards my neck. I immediately tensed and practically fell off of the chair I was in.

"Don't touch me," I seethed.

The Vampire's smirk was sadistic. "You might not want to tell me what to do, little girl." He told me, taking a step closer as he cocked his head to the side. "Your fear only makes you all the more delectable."

I clenched the muscle in my cheek. "I'm not afraid of you, idiot. I just don't want your dirty paws all over me." I bit back angrily. Of course I was terrified, but I wouldn't let on to that.

A look of amusement crossed over his face, and he was about to take a step closer to me when the woman from outside stepped in between us. "He requests your presence."

"Pardon?" I asked in confusion, watching as the Vampire behind her got the point and left almost instantly. "Who does?"

A single, perfectly plucked eyebrow rose curiously at me as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Who do you think?" she asked me, looking bored once again. I blinked and looked just beyond her shoulder only to notice the man on the stage was looking directly at me again. "Eric Northman." She said. The same Eric who Suzette and Andy wanted to be fed from? I squirmed at the thought.

"I'm alright, thanks."

All she did was give me a sarcastic laugh before tapping her foot. "That wasn't a question, darling."

I was about to decline her offer once again when all of the sudden her eyes seemed to zero in on me and only me. "You will go see Eric, yes?"

"No." I said in confusion, taking a small step away from her. "I have to go." I mumbled out, sliding away from the awkward situation before making my way back out of the club. However, I did manage to steal one last glance at Eric. His brows were knit together and his back seemed much straighter than before. He looked perplexed, but only just slightly.

"There you are!" Suzette cried out, grasping onto my arm tightly. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Leaving," I said quickly. "You guys can stay; I'll call Sook or someone to pick me up." And before they could even try to stop me, I slipped out of the club and into the sticky Louisiana night air.

**A/N.** I assure you it'll get better, this is just the intro. It will very much include Sook, Bill and all of the other awesome characters, this is just the intro. Also, this takes place at the very beginning of the second season, by the way. Hope you guys like it. ;)


	2. Merlotte's

I snapped awake almost instantly and blinked into the darkness that surrounded me. _What time is it?_ I groaned and rolled my stiff body off the couch, wincing as my backgave out a loud crack. It wasn't until my eyes caught sight of the time that I seemed to snap out of my stupor: 6:48pm; I had exactly twelve minutes to get my ass to Merlotte's for my seven o'clock shift. "_Shit_!" I cursed, instantly flying towards my bedroom. I wiped any remnants of sleep I had around my eyes away as quickly as I could before pulling my long brown hair back into a high ponytail. "Shit, shit, _shit_!" I mumbled as I messily scrambled around for some eyeliner. When I'd finally found the pencil, I made sure to frame my dark green orbs before throwing on a touch of eye shadow and mascara. Deciding it was probably best to multitask at a time like this; I flew forward and threw on the standard Merlotte's shirt and short black shorts all the while dusting the slightest bit of blush across my high cheekbones. I looked at the time again only to see five minutes had gone by in a flash. I immediately grabbed my keys and shoved my apron into my purse before hightailing it out of my tiny home. I lived just down the road from Merlotte's and I knew if I was to wait for my cruddy old station wagon to start properly, I would have been late. So, being that I had almost no time to spare, I took off sprinting towards my place of work; I'd never been so thankful to live in a town as small as Bon Temps as I did right then.

The sun was just setting in the sky, disappearing below the line of trees surrounding me. It would have been a pretty peaceful scenario if I hadn't been running for my life to get to work on time. I could see a ton of cars already perched right outside of Merlotte's and in an instant, I noticed Lafayette leaning against the rails at the side of the bar. "Bitch, you are late," he said once he saw me coming. "And you look like you just rolled out of bed." His lazy smirk grew more profound as he jumped to conclusions. "Who ya banging, slut?"

I cocked my head to the side and grasped my ribcage painfully. "If I wasn't so out of breath right now, I'd rip you to pieces with a witty comeback." I told him gently tapping his cheek with my hand. "Sam'll kill you if he sees you with that blunt in between your pretty little fingers, you know."

All he did was kiss his teeth at me. "Better get your pretty little ass inside before Sam chews it off for being late. _Again_." His smirk was back in no time as he sucked down on the blunt.

I laughed and finally walked into the familiar bar. I was instantly met with the fresh smell of food and beer and the not so angry face of Sam looking across at me. "Sorry I'm late; I fell asleep watching a movie around noon and literally just woke up a few minutes ago."

He did his best to look angry, but his face only softened as a slow smile graced his lips. "I suppose this had nothing to do with staying up a little too late last night? It was your birthday after all."

"Believe me, Sam; last night was anything but amazing." I said, shoving my purse in the back room. I tied the apron around my waist and took one last glimpse at myself in the mirror before joining Sam once again.

His eyebrows perked up curiously as he cleaned out one of the mugs with an old white rag. "Well, I'd love to hear all about your big birthday bash, but you were late and you've got a table of four who just walked on in." He winked playfully all before turning away to load some beers into the fridge.

"How sweet of you," I joked all before shoving the tiny notepad I had into the pocket of my apron. "How might I help you boys tonight?" I asked with a friendly smile.

One of the men looked up at me and smiled. "We'll get a pitcher of Bud for now, sweetie."

I shot them all a quick smile before nodding. "I'll be right back," I promised as I turned on my heel to head towards the bar.

"Those guys are perverts," Sookie told me, an evident scowl on her pretty face. She was staring just past me towards the table of men I'd just come from.

I smiled half-heartedly. "Sook, you don't need to be a mind reader to know that." I joked with a playful wink. Sookie slowly looked at me before a small smile broke out across her lips. "By the way, thank you for picking me up last night. I swear I could've killed Andy and Suzette."

"Oh, it's no problem!" she said happily. "Bill and I were up when I got your text so it's not like you woke me up."

My eyes widened instantly. "I didn't…you know, like…I didn't—"

"No!" she cried out with a nervous laugh. I noticed her cheeks redden ever so slightly. I _definitely_ interrupted something. "Of course you didn't!"

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry, Sook! If I knew you and Bill we're doing the deed, I definitely would have called someone else." I smiled at Sam as he handed me the pitcher of beer, but he didn't return the gesture. "I'm sure you could have used Bill, I mean it's been a pretty busy week." I hinted with a knowing smirk. "He could have loosened all those shoulder muscles of yours and-"

I was cut off by Sookie gently hitting me in the arm with the empty tray in her hands. "No such thing occurred, Kat!" she argued with a large grin.

"Sure thing, Sooks." I joked, leaving her to head over to my table. "And here you boys are," I placed the pitcher in front of them along with four mugs. "Any ideas on what you boys might like to eat?"

I watched one of the men slowly trail his eyes down my body, his brown eyes soaking in my every feature before landing just above my legs. "I have an idea." He replied with a piggish smirk.

"Maybe something that's actually on the menu," I bit back with a quiet scoff. "Catfish with a side of greens or 'slaw or something, maybe?"

The man chuckled but thankfully took the hint and before I knew it I had all four orders ready to be cooked. I stuck it onto the Turn for Lafayette and Terry to see. "Feel free to take a nice long pee on the deep-fried steak and greens."

"I've been saving all of it up for you, baby." Lafayette replied as he chopped some celery up in record timing.

After that, the night seemed to go by accordingly. The pigs continued to fill in every so often, but Sookie, Arlene and I were able to handle it as per usual. It had been incredibly busy like every other Saturday night, though. Finally, just a little after midnight, business seemed to slow down just enough for us to catch our breaths and talk amongst ourselves.

"Was that your first time at Fangtasia?" Sookie asked as we filled up some of the ketchup bottles.

I nodded, crinkling my nose as a squirt of ketchup landed on my show. "Yeah; I've heard a lot about it but I don't know, it wasn't really my scene."

She nodded in understanding. Sookie was someone I'd hit it off with right off the bat when I first moved to Bon Temps just a little over five years ago. I'd found out about her telepathy about a month after I started working shifts with her at Merlottes and it was through that bonding that we became as close as we were.

I was tempted to ask about a lot of what I saw last night, but decided against it. I knew she'd been dating Bill Compton for quite a while now and I was sure she knew her fair share of knowledge on the Vampire race, but a part of me knew not to ask. I knew I was asking for a vain reason; I was curious about that blonde-hared God that—

"You met Eric Northman last night?" Sookie asked in shock, her eyes narrowed into slits. "Tell me you didn't let him bite you!"

"Sookie!" I groaned. "How many times have I told you to stay out of my head."

"Nuh-uh, little missy." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You answer my question right now. Did you let Eric Northman—"

"Of course I didn't," I told her. "I just don't understand who he is. Why was he on that stage and stuff? Is he some sort of hot shot in the Vampire world, or something?"

Sookie glared at me for a few minutes and I knew she was trying to dig through my head to see if I was lying. When she seemed pleased at whatever she found, she continued to fill up the ketchup bottles. "He's the sheriff for that district, and he's _old_. I mean real old. Over one thousand years old."

My eyebrows shot together. "Wait, so if he's a sheriff type of thing, could I get into trouble for not adhering to a request he made?"

"Whad'ya mean?" Sookie asked in confusion.

I shrugged. "I don't know, really. It was weird, Sook! This woman, she had, like, long blonde hair—"

"Pam?"

I blinked. "Pam?" I repeated. "I don't know why I'm surprised at how simple some of these names could be. But yeah, we'll call her Pam. So, Pam comes up to me after this other Vampire starts harassing me and tells me that _Eric Northman_ requests my presence."

"And you said no?" she asked, the ketchup bottles completely forgotten for the time being.

I nodded. "Well, yeah. I heard Suzette and Andy wanted him to feed from them and it kind of freaked me out; I didn't want to take any chances, you know?" Sookie nodded for me to continue. "Anyway, so after I tell her no, she gets this really intense look about her and moves towards me. It was like she was trying to see into me, but it was such a weird, hollow blank stare at the same time. So she repeats the question, only it sounded a lot more forceful."

I watched as Sookie's face turn very concerned in a matter of seconds. "Did she glamour you?"

"No," I told her. "I mean, if she did, I didn't feel a damned thing. Well, besides uncomfortable. That whole situation was a tad uncomfortable."

"So, she couldn't glamour you…?" she asked once more.

I blinked and finally dropped my hands at my sides. "I guess not. Why? Is that bad?"

Sookie's eyes once again resembled quarters as she looked across at me. "You're not hiding something from me, are you Kat? I mean, you're not some kind of telepathic or something?"

"What? Why would you even say that?"

"Well, it's just when me and Bill started seeing each other, I asked him to glamour me. Just for the hell of it, ya know? But he couldn't. Vampire's can't glamour those with supernatural capabilities." She explained slowly, not letting her eyes fall from my own. "Do you…?"

I blinked like an idiot for what must have been the thousandth time tonight. "Sook, if I was telepathic you would know. Go ahead, read my mind. If I was anyone special like you, I sure as hell hope I'd know it by now. Maybe she just thought I was intoxicated and thought she had to talk slower and more intense for me to understand what she was saying." I joked, but I couldn't shake Sookie's curious glances. "Sook, seriously, I'm sure it was nothing."

She lowered her gaze and for a second we just stood together in silence. It wasn't until her head snapped up moments later, that a look of something new flashed across her face. "Vampire," she muttered, turning on her heel to head back to the main part of the bar. "They're all saying Vampire."

I followed her in confusion, tracing her steps carefully. "Who is? The customers?" I asked, but it was too late; I had my answer as soon as I rounded that last corner.

_Vampire_ was right.

There, standing in the middle of Merlotte's, was none other than Eric Northman and Pam. They were both dressed in black, he wore a leather jacket with a pair of dark slacks, and she wore an extremely expensive looking dress. They stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs in contrast to the rustic setting that was Merlotte's, that was for sure. "Well hello there, Ms. Stackhouse," he said his voice deep and cold as ever. Slowly, his eyes trailed over towards mine and it was as if the knot in my stomach knew to churn. "Katerina."


	3. Eric

I heard Sam's sigh as he let his head fall forward in exasperation. "You've got to be kidding me." He mumbled under his breath. I was tempted to turn around to see if my boss was alright, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from the blues that seeped into me.

"What are you guys doin' here?" Sookie asked, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. When neither Pam nor Eric answered her, she took a step closer to them. "I asked you what you are doing here, Eric." She said quietly, her face inches away from his. She was trying to be quiet so as to not cause a scene, but every ear in the place was focused on them.

Instead of coming back with an immediate retort, Eric's eyes lingered on me as his hollow smirk grew. I was the first one to break our gaze, instantly busying my mind with one of the cardboard coasters on the bar.

Eric's smirk grew as he rejoiced in his win of the staring contest and slowly looked down at Sookie. "This is a bar, an eating establishment, is it not?" he asked her, his tone oozing with boredom. "We came to eat." His eyes reflectively looked back up at me at that remark. His smirk, much to my dismay, was bigger than ever.

Sookie looked agitated and annoyed but nonetheless waved her hand towards an open booth. "Fine. Have a seat, then." She watched with narrowed eyes as they took their time taking their seats. "Thank-you," Sookie began, popping the end of her pen impatiently. "What can I get you tw-"

"Hold on there, sweet thing," Pam purred. "We want Katerina."

I could feel Sam's eyes on me as he knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. I, myself, must have looked like I had been punched in the gut; I was sure my jaw had hit the counter below me.

"No," Sookie demanded, clenching her jaw in anger. "You've got me. Katerina finishes soon, anyway."

Eric's eyebrow cocked and he slowly looked up to meet Sookie's face. "Are you denying us the waitress we want?" he asked with ease, folding his arms out onto the table in front of them. When she simply nodded at him all he did was lean further back into his seat. "Code three-hundred and four of Louisiana's Food Industry Act. Any paying customer is liable to ask for another waitress if there is a solid reason behind it."

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. "And what reason would that be?"

I watched as his eyes danced across Sookie's body before shrugging he shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't like your tone."

"My _tone_?" she repeated furiously. "You don't like my _tone_?"

"No," he said. "I don't."

The muscle in Sookie's jaw clenched quite noticeably but turned on her heel nonetheless. "I'm sorry," she mouthed with a small frown. "He requested you."

I wanted to quit right on the spot. I wanted to hand Sam my resignation and just run back home. But I couldn't, and I knew that. "It's alright, Sook." I muttered. I slowly made my way to their table, swallowing back any bit of anxiousness I had before shooting them both a large, phony grin. "What kind of Tru Blood could I get you lovely folks, this evening?"

"Folks," Pam repeated less than enthusiastically. "She called me a _folk_."

"Pam," Eric warned, but his eyes didn't flicker towards her once. Instead, his eyes remained on me. "What kind do you have?"

I turned to look back at the fridge behind the bar. "I think we have A-negative, O-positive and one B-negative left." I heard Pam chuckle quietly as I turned back around to face the pair. "What?"

Not even the slightest trace of a smile adorned the blonde Vampire's lips as his eyes burned holes into me. "That's all very interesting," he told me. "But I was referring to _your_ blood type." His sapphire pools fell from my eyes and wandered down my body, stopping quite obviously at both my breasts and my pulse points.

"Kanna jag behaga har den här en?" _Can I please have this one?_ Pam asked him, speaking fluent Swedish as if I wouldn't understand.

"Nej." _No._ He told her instantly, finally letting his eyes fall back onto my face. "Den här en är all min." _This one is all mine_. Was he kidding me? Did they think that they were the only two people on earth to know the language?

Pam's face fell, but she didn't give up easily. "Den där er egoistisk. Rättvis en bita?" _That's selfish. Just one bite?_

I clenched my jaw as my knuckles grew into fists. This was just ridiculous.

"Pam," he warned once again. "Du vill lov den här en ensam." _You will leave this one alone._

"I think I'm going to let Arlene take care of you guys," I finally cracked, seething as I spoke through clenched teeth.

Eric creased his eyebrows curiously. "Why would you want to do that?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders and began to untie my apron. "I finished five minutes ago." I told them. I began to turn around but before I could move an inch an icy cold hand wrapped around my wrist and tugged me back towards their table. "Act one hundred and eight: employees have the right to refuse a customer in situations they deem inappropriate."

"Inappropriate?" His smirk was devilish. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Katerina?" I didn't answer him, but I couldn't help but notice his grip tighten just slightly around my wrist. "What's your reasoning?"

I scoffed and peered across at Pam who looked just as sadistic as Eric. "Jag icke gör det lik din ton." _I don't like your tone_.

He dropped my wrist slowly, a flicker of shock passing over his handsome face. I was proud of myself to say the very least, I'd shoved his idiotic _reasoning_ right back in his face. I looked at Sam the second I touched down at the bar and cleared my throat. "Mind if I head home for the night?" I asked, ignoring the fact that every eye in the place was on me.

Sam instantly grinned and clipped me on the back. "By all means! Have a good night, Kat." He said with a laugh, going back to wiping down some of glasses that were still wet from being in dish.

I shot him an impish grin before throwing my apron over my shoulder. I knew Eric was watching my every move, but that just gave me the extra boost to walk away. I said my goodbye's to Arlene, Terry, Lafayette and eventually to Sookie all before finally leaving through the back door. It was a warm night, as it usually was, but at least there was a bit of a breeze. It blew the trees in a way that made the bark screech into the night air.

I walked somewhat quickly back home, resisting in the urge to run directly home. I liked walking home when it was this peaceful outside, but I was all too aware that I had just pissed off a pretty old, and _very_ powerful Vampire. That thought alone made my long strides become just a tad longer.

I heard a twig break from behind me but I didn't stop to look around. I knew this situation all too well, it always happened in the movies. Young girl hears a noise, stops and eventually gets taken down by some crazed lunatic. In my case, however, the crazed lunatic would undoubtedly be Eric Northman. He'd came all the way to Merlotte's to do something, and I was sure whatever he wanted didn't involve being told off in his own native language.

_Crack!_

Another twig. Shit.

My long steps no sooner became a full on sprint towards my house; the short walk it usually was felt longer than ever before. My heart was hammering against my ribcage painfully now, and I wasn't even certain I had let out a single breath since I'd begun my long walk home.

In a flash, a single white light of sheer panic, my feet had practically left the ground as I was roughly pushed against the nearest tree. "I don't like to be toyed with," he whispered, his nose brushing against my own as he lowered his head into me. "I don't like to look like a fool." He seethed. I didn't say a word, I couldn't. His body was pressed into my own so much so that the idea of letting my lungs inflate sounded almost painful. "I can smell your fear." He said after a moment. The bridge of his nose brushed along my jaw and for as much as I wanted to push him away and scream at the top of my lungs, I couldn't. My body, much to my dismay, reacted in a way that made me blush. The knot in the pit of my stomach churned and the craving it had was slowly began to seep out of my every pore. I heard him breathe in, inhaling me once again before his voice grew gruff. "I can smell your arousal, too."

"What do you want?" I finally asked, though my voice didn't hold the conviction I wanted it to.

"I think it's obvious." He stated gruffly, not bothering to stop dragging his nose along my jaw. "Why can't you be glamoured?" he asked.

I swallowed. "I don't know," I told him truthfully. "Why was Pam trying to glamour me?"

"I'm asking the questions." He bit back, finally pulling away from my neck. He bent down slightly to look me dead in the eye. He seemed to concentrate for a moment, but blinked away his confusion upon seeing for himself that he couldn't do whatever it was he was trying to do. "What are you?"

I blinked and shook my head. "What do you mean _what_ am I? I'm nobody; I'm just trying to get h—"

"Are you a telepath?"

_What was with everyone today?_ "Just because you can't glamour me doesn't make me a telepath, or whatever it is you think I am." I tried to push him away from me but I was sure he wasn't even aware of my actions. He was a boulder. "I just want to get home, okay?"

His eyes narrowed as if he was trying to see into me, to see if I was lying. "How do you know Swedish?"

I almost laughed at the sudden question, but still couldn't find it in me to do anything more than force out tiny, ragged breaths. "My last name is Prekovich, how _wouldn't_ I know Swedish?"

The muscle in his jaw clenched and his grip remained tight as ever. "What _are_ you?" he pushed me back into the tree a little too roughly and my head began to spin. I blinked several times to stop the stars and black dots, but to no avail, my head lulled to the side. His brows creased and he said something, but I couldn't hear him. It was muffled, the world was blurry, and finally, everything went black.

_Bloody tears were streaming down his face as he bowed his head. Sobs became him, his entire body shook with grief as the boy's hand stretched forward. He was saying something, but I couldn't make it out. It was almost muffled; there was only a faint, high pitched noise around us, a wolf's whistle. _

_The boy turned to look at me and gave me a small but very meaningful smile as he nodded his head. He slowly looked back down at the broken man before him and said something; I still couldn't hear anything, but the man slowly got up to his feet and took one last look at his friend. _

_I remained still as the man approached me. He looked so fragile in that instance, so terribly broken. I hesitantly reached forward and grasped his hand, but before I could, a flicker of black surrounded me. I was in a basement now, and I could hear Sookie screaming out for me. I go to move, but I can't. I can't see a damned thing. "Sook?" I ask into the blackness, my voice cracks. I'm scared and worried for Sookie and myself. But then I feel safe, a presence stands before me, and even though I can't see whoever it is, I feel his safety, I feel his empathy. "You're safe, now." _

I snapped awake and immediately looked down at my hand. It had felt so real; I could still feel the coolness of his touch on my clammy hand. "What the hell?" I rasped out all before noticing the wooden panels of my porch just beyond my hand.

I jumped from where I laid and instantly my stomach fell. How the hell did I get out here? I racked my brain in hopes for some memories to seep back into my memory, but I was finding it extremely difficult to get my mind around anything besides the dream.

"I was beginning to think I killed you." I heard a voice from behind me say. My breath hitched in my throat as I turned around. There, sitting like a bored statue on the swing-seat of my porch, was Eric. Immediate images of bloody tears streaming down his face racked through my memory like a painful car accident. My head throbbed as the images entered into my subconscious yet again. I reached up and touched my temple, but the physicality of the gentle touch only made it throb much worse than before. "Oh, don't be melodramatic; it was just a little shove."

My hands fell down to the porch as I looked back up at him. The man whose eyes bled, who sobbed before a mere boy, seemed so different from the man who sat before me, but they were one in the same. "You—" I swallowed hard but couldn't form any words. "Why were you…" He continued to watch me try and form a single sentence bemusedly. His eyebrow cocked up, and he opened his mouth to say something, but shut it as he watched me fearfully cower away from the situation. "You were bleeding or something," I whispered, confusion and disarray clear in my tone. "Is Sookie okay?"

His eyebrows shot together. "What? How hard did you hit your head?"

"Never mind," I mumbled sheepishly. "I must have been dreaming." I shook my head and pushed myself up and off of the ground using the rails of my porch as anchors. "Why am I on my porch?" I finally asked.

He didn't answer my question; he only seemed to stare harder, deeper right into me. "Dreaming?" he asked me. But within seconds his whole demeanour changed. "You had time to dream while being knocked out?"

"Why am I on my porch?" I pushed, ignoring his little remark.

"Did you expect me to just leave you on the road?" he asked in amusement. "I don't know what Ms. Stackhouse is telling you, but I'm a gentleman." His smirk was back in action. "For instance, I could've fed on you for the two hours you were out cold, but I didn't, did I?" I immediately reached up to touch my neck, but didn't feel any sort of difference. "There are other places to bite, other major arteries." His eyes trailed down my legs and I immediately froze. "Don't you fool easily," he mused, picking at his nails.

He looked back up at me and must have noticed my dazed expression. I tried to focus on him, but the images of the dream kept whirling through my head. I blinked in hopes to get rid of the confusing segments, but it only made it worse. My head was killing me now. "I think you should leave."

"Is that so?" he crossed his arms over his chest and pushed himself away from the bench. "But you haven't even invited me in yet."

I blinked several more times as the image of Eric being consoled by a boy entered into my mind. "Go," I repeated, grasping onto my head subtly. "Thank-you for bringing me home." Was the last thing I said to him before walking around his tall, broad frame to head into my house.

**A/N. Everything will be explained, promise. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and thank you to those who have been reviewing and alerting and all that fun stuff ;) don't be afraid to talk, by the way! **

**p.s. if you're Swedish, I am sorry in advance for the translations. I know they're not exact and are probably quite jumbled, but that's as best as I could do! **


	4. The Boy

My fingers gripped the black charcoal pencil as it skimmed over the thick paper. Black smudges covered my face, arms and more specifically my hands but I had absolutely no intention of stopping. I had no way of knowing who this boy was that I kept dreaming about, but he was constantly in my head. I'd shut my eyes and I'd see him, I'd try and focus on my job and I'd see the vision of Eric sobbing uncontrollably in front of him – everything I did, I saw him. I felt like I was slowly going insane, seeing people I'd never even seen before in my head, in my dreams, different scenarios playing out before me that I'd never actually been in. The only thing I could think of doing was drawing out the face that had been plaguing my dreams.

I blinked and saw Eric's bloody tears, another blink and I see the mystery boy's sad smile. Every time I closed my eyes, they were there. My head hadn't stopped pounding since the very first dream, four days ago. I was at a loss. What could I do? I'd called Sookie and asked for advice knowing full well she'd been dealing with a Vampire for the last year as well as battling her own demons because of her telepathy, but she didn't know what was going on. It had even escalated to the point where Bill had even stopped by to speak to me. He'd told me that Sookie was sure I was a psychic, but thankfully, he wasn't convinced. He believed it was something a little less common, something a little less radical. He thought I had the _gift_ of precognition. That thought alone made my stomach lurch uneasily. Where could something like that come from? I've dreamt things all my life and I was sure as hell nothing I've dreamt of have happened in real life.

I looked down at the drawing on the table and ran a shaky hand through my long, brown hair. _The eyes are wrong_, I thought to myself before ripping the page out of the book to begin again. I started with the shape of his face; it was long, oval, and his jaw was quite angular. Then I moved onto his nose, drawing it out as best to my ability. In minutes I'd sketched out his entire face with the exception of his eyes. They were soft eyes but held a great amount of knowledge and years within them. They were blue and almond shaped, but I still couldn't seem to get the emotion behind them out on paper. I continued to simply stare down at the eyeless figure before my anger got the best of me. Between days of not sleeping and still having to lead a relatively normal life of going to work, I was frustrated beyond belief. I threw the pad across the room, along with most of the scattered bits of paper and let out a loud groan. "Get out of my head!" I screamed into the eerily quiet house.

As if on cue three loud knocks sounded from my front door. I immediately looked at the time on the wall and noticed it was nearly midnight. _Who the hell could that be?_ I took a few long strides towards the door and without hesitation pulled it open. I wish I could say I was surprised to see Eric Northman at my door, but I wasn't. Bill had warned me that he'd heard Eric doing some digging. He'd glamoured Suzette and Andrea to get as much information that he could about me and when that didn't seem to be enough, he'd went to Sookie and Bill. It was only a matter of time before he came back to the source, and now, at eleven fifty-two at night, here he was at my door. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you want, Eric?"

"Well, I want you but seeing as how you're making it so difficult, I thought a nice talk might suffice for now." He said confidently. He was wearing a black wife-beater and a pair of grey slacks; he looked handsome as ever and I hated him for it. "We can talk about why you look like you haven't bothered to look in the mirror for the last few days."

I didn't even so much as flinch at his words because I knew it was true. I didn't need a mirror to know I must have looked like a mess. I was wearing an unbuttoned and oversized plaid shirt overtop a black tank top with a pair of jean shorts that were covered in my charcoaled fingerprints. It had been my day off and I'd spent nearly all of it trying to draw a boy I'd never even seen in real life. "If I invite you in, I can revoke my invitation?"

He smirked. "I don't think you will, but yes, you have that ability."

I had no true intention of inviting him in before this day, but I had questions. He was an old Vampire and I was relying on that simple fact in hopes he may know what the hell was going on with me. "Okay fine."

His eyebrows shot together, his hands still in his pockets. "It needs to be a formal invitation, Katerina. '_Okay fine'_ won't cut it."

I had a feeling I knew I may regret this, but I was tired and desperate for some answers. So, before I could psyche myself out, I opened my mouth and said the words that would one day get me into some serious trouble. "Come in."

In a blink he was inside my home. I quietly shut the door behind me and ran a chalky hand through my hair. "I hear you've been glamouring my friends and asking about me." I began, walking past him to lean against my dining room table. "Find anything interesting?" I usually would have tried to watch my tone around a Vampire, but I was agitated and my thoughts were cloudy.

He turned around to face me after looking briefly around my small house. I was tall, but even then, as he stood directly across from him, I felt smaller than ever. "I did. Your friend, with the blonde hair, I think her name was Susan…"

I clenched my jaw. "Suzette," I corrected as I ground my teeth together.

"Suzette," he repeated, taking a small step closer to me. "She had _quite_ a bit to say." He grinned sadistically down at me. "She tasted delicious."

I curled my fingers into my palms in outrage. "You drank from her?"

His lips twitched into an even bigger leer. "You're jealous," he stated. "In anyone else it would really be quite indecent but I like that little spark inside of you."

"I'm disgusted," I corrected angrily.

"I'm sure you are," he purred, taking yet another step closer to me. "She tasted vile in comparison to you, though. I can smell you from here."

I swallowed hard as he took a step closer to me. "What do you know about precognition?"

He halted his steps immediately and slowly slid his hands out of his pockets to cross over his chest. "Precognition?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I don't know for sure but Bill—"

"Bill Compton?" he asked, annoyance quite evident in his voice. "Why were you talking to Bill Compton?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in bewilderment. "What? Are you the only Vampire I'm allowed to talk to?"

"I'd prefer it that way."

I scoffed. "Well, that's not going to happen. Bill's my friend and—" he was in front of me within seconds. His arms, like towers, held me into the table to ensure I couldn't move away from him. "We _are_ capable of having conversations without you having to hold me down, you know?"

"Are we?" he asked, bowing his head to ensure we were face to face.

I bit the inside of my cheek furiously. "What do you know about precognition?"

"Why?" he asked. He hadn't even blinked since he'd trapped me against the table, not daring to be the first to break away from the intense staring match.

"Call it curiosity." I bit back, straightening myself out so that I was even closer to his face. I knew I was pushing my luck, but I wanted answers. "What do you know about it?"

He pressed his body even tighter against me so that our noses were practically touching. "Why?" he asked again, his voice gruff and breathy. I watched the muscle in his cheek flex and I knew from that small gesture that he was quite aware at how close we were to one another.

My eyes quickly narrowed into angry slits as I looked him dead in the eye. "Well, I'm beginning to think since you knocked my head into that tree that I may have it." I admitted. "Now, I repeat, please tell me whatever it is you may know about it."

Eric, obviously pretty angry at the tone I was using immediately pushed away from me and let out a low growl. "One cannot push someone into a tree and attain something like precognition, Katerina. I'm many things, but I am not some sort of magician." He walked away from the table and walked into the adjoining living room, taking a seat on the couch. "What is it that you've been seeing in these dreams of yours?" he asked. "And why does it look like you were attacked by charcoal?"

I rolled my eyes and slowly took a seat in the chair opposite him. "I don't know." I muttered. I knew I would have to tell him something, but the idea of actually saying my dream out loud to anyone put me off. I hadn't even told Sookie what these dreams actually consisted of; I didn't want to sound crazy.

"You obviously know what you're dreaming of or you wouldn't have said anything." He said, his tone sounding bored yet again. "I could care less if you told me about your dreams. Really, I could. But, for as much as it pains me to admit it, I'm curious to know why you can't be deterred by a Vampire." He looked up from the table separating us and slowly rested his arms on his legs. "I want to know what you are."

_What_ I was. I hated the fact that I was suddenly a _what_. "It's not just when I sleep," I admitted quietly. "It's when I blink, it's when I stare off for too long without thinking – it's not getting out of my head. I keep seeing you," I looked up and half expected him to make some sort of snide remark about me dreaming of him, but I was only met with his blank, but alert stare. "And…I don't know. You're with this boy," I didn't dare mention that he was sobbing with bloody tears streaming out of his eyes. "On a rooftop, I think. And he's telling you something, but I can't hear him because it's like my ears are ringing or something. And then it gets all dark and you're gone and I'm in a basement, but I can't see much more than that. I hear Sookie in the distance, but I can't see her. I can't move, either. Like, I'm tied up or something – I don't know. But there's someone there with me, I just don't know who, but they feel safe. And then I wake up."

He didn't say anything for a very long time; he simply just stared across at me with a look I couldn't read. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably before I dropped my gaze down to the table. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. "What makes you think that this is precognitive dream? It could simply be any regular dream."

I immediately shook my head. "No. I've been dreaming regular dreams my entire life and this one feels different. I've never in my life met the boy in my dream, the one you're talking to, and yet I know every detail of his body. His-his face, his neck, his hair all of his tattoos, his eyes…" I trailed off and cleared my throat. "It's different."

Eric perked up. "Can you describe this boy?"

"Yes!" I said, nodding my head vigorously. "I've tried to draw him for the past seventeen hours or so but I can't get his eyes right." I stood up to my full height and began picking up every scattered piece of paper I had thrown on the floor. By the time I was finished there must have been at least thirty pages of the same face staring back at me, progressively getting more accurate with each fresh sketch. I handed them over to Eric but remained standing.

I watched carefully as he took a look at one of the latter sketches. His body instantly tensed, his shoulders squaring off as if he was readying himself for an attack. The muscles in his arms, cheek and back seemed to clench but still he didn't move. I blinked and, because I had a bad feeling, took a few steps away from the exceedingly strong and seemingly pissed off Vampire before me. "Do you know him?" I asked, but my voice wavered. If he couldn't smell my fear, he would definitely hear it.

He looked up at me, but surprisingly didn't attack. His whole demeanour seemed to change within seconds and I watched as the calm, cool, collected exterior he held just seconds ago leaked into the cracks of the floorboards beneath us. "What _are_ you?" he fumed.

"For God's sake, stop calling me a _what_!" I finally hissed out. "I don't know what's going on in my head, but it doesn't make me any less human!"

Eric got up from the couch, his large hands still holding onto the sketch I'd drawn just moments ago. "Is that all you see?" he asked, backing me against the back of the chair I'd just been sitting in.

I could see the bloody tears on his face as I blinked, but I didn't say a word. "That's all I see." I confirmed. "Who is he?"

His jaw clenched, but he didn't give me a name. "You'll speak of this to no one." He said, holding up the sketch to ensure I understood. "Not your good friend Bill or Sookie or to those two morons Suzette and Andrea, alright?"

I nodded wordlessly but maintained our eye contact. He did the same but I couldn't help but notice his eyes slowly saunter down to my lips, and then eventually to my neck. "I have business to attend to." He told me, folding up the drawing carefully before slipping it into his pocket. In a blink he was out the door, miles away. The sketch of the boy caught my eye again and for what felt like the eightieth time in the span of seventeen hours, I was at a loss.

_Who are you?_

**A/N. Hope you guys like it! Thanks so much to all of those who have reviewed as well as all of the story alerts, it really is awesome. And just a reminder that this is set at the beginning of second season! The excitement begins soon, I promise! ;) x**


	5. Family

A loud knock was heard at my door and I immediately grinned and hopped off of the couch. My niece and nephew were coming to stay with me for the night because their father Ian Welch – my brother-in-law – had a business to attend to in Dallas. They were only two months old when my sister Stella was killed in the accident involving the Vampire and I barely got to see them since he'd moved them all the way to Rayne, Louisiana. I hadn't seen them since their fifth birthday (they were fraternal twins) and now they were nearly six years old; it had been way too long.

I opened the door with a large grin on my face all before being attacked by two pint-sized humans. "Auntie Kat!" Darrell, my nephew, screamed, lunging at my legs.

My eyes widened at how big they had gotten in the course of nearly a year. Little Mary was the spitting image of my sister Stella, same blonde locks, same eyes – and Darry was _definitely_ his father's son. "My God, what has your daddy been feeding you?" I asked, picking up Stella as Darry continued to hold onto my leg. "You're nearly bigger than I am!" I teased, messing up Darry's shaggy brown hair. The sound of his laugh made my grin even bigger; I forgot how much I missed these kids.

I looked back up at Ian to notice he was watching his two little ones with a small but tight smile. "It's always strange being back in Bon Temps," he told me honestly, but I could hear the grief behind his voice. I knew he loved me like his own sister, but I knew he also held it against me that I was the sister who survived that night. He was a gentleman though, he would never admit to something like that.

I smiled sadly back at him and looked down at the two kids. "Mary's looking more like Stella every day, isn't she?" I whispered, my own stomach churning in sorrow. I'd missed my family; I missed Stella's outrageous laugh, my mother's comforting smile and my father's warm embrace. It was strange being the only Prekovich remaining; strange and cruel.

"She is," he admitted sadly, smiling at his little girl with loving eyes. He blinked and lowered his gaze to Darrell for just a moment before looking back up at me. "Listen, I'm sorry for the short notice. I would have left them with Elizabeth but she is going to be with me." Elizabeth was his current girlfriend. They'd been together for a little over two years now but I wasn't too fond of her. She never gave me a reason to hate her, but she always just gave me really negative vibes.

"Are you kidding me, Ian?" I laughed and watched as Mary played with a tendril of my long hair. "It's no problem at all. I've been so stressed lately, I'm sure these little buggers know just the anecdote." I looked at Darry and grinned. "Don't you?" He laughed and buried his face into my thigh shyly. God, I loved these guys.

Ian nodded and stepped inside to drop off their bags. "You have my cell number if you need to reach me. Don't be afraid to call, even if it's five in the morning I'll leave at the drop of a hat."

I rolled my eyes and shot him a small smile. "Since when have you become such a _dad_, Ian?" I joked, putting Stella down so that she and Darry could run off and play. "Don't worry. I know your number off by heart and I'll even give it to Sam or Sook just in case I was to suddenly become incapacitated and they needed to reach you." I wasn't about to do that, but he didn't have to know that.

"Thanks, Kat. I really do appreciate it."

I nodded and leaned against the wall. "So, what is it that you and Liz are doing, anyway?" I asked, scraping my fingers through my hair to push it away from my face. "Romantic getaway for two?" I winked, but he didn't even attempt a smile.

"No," he said rather coldly. "Our church has a very important meeting tonight and we can't miss it."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Ian was never one for religion, where the hell did this church fit into the equation? "Church? I swear you were the rebel without a cause when we were in high school." I joked, but once again not even a flicker of a smile. "Uh," I coughed awkwardly and peered behind me in hopes Darry or Mary would distract me. When I noticed they were vanished up the stairs I mentally groaned.

"Well, I should be going." _I guess he felt just as awkward. _"I have a long trip ahead of me."

I smiled and slipped my hands into the tight back pocket of my jeans. "You sure do," I mumbled. "Drive safe."

He nodded and moved in for a hug. I returned the tiny gesture and rubbed his back reassuringly. "I'll watch over them, don't worry." I vowed with a encouraging wink.

"Thanks, Kat." He said, pulling away from me to head back towards the door. "Love you guys, be safe and listen to Aunt Kat, okay?" We waited to hear some form of agreement but all that we heard was their sinister but cute laughter sounding from my bedroom. He smiled slightly and turned his attention back to me. "And remember do—"

"Don't be afraid to call, got it." I said, walking him out to his car. "Have a safe trip, bring me back a keychain from Dallas."

He finally let out a quiet chuckle as he hopped into his big SUV. "I will." He promised before he drove off, sending me one last wave. I watched as his car disappeared down the dusty road all before I felt a tiny body collide into me yet again. I looked down only to see it was Darry, but Mary lingered behind him with a shy smile on her cute little face. "Can we go see Samero?"

Samero was what Darry called Sam. I had no idea how he always seemed to remember my friendly boss, but whenever they came down to stay with me, they always wanted to pop into Merlotte's to see everybody. They were spoiled rotten down there, even Tara and Lafayette seemed to subtly spoil them the one time they'd met the two little rascals and that was before I even worked there.

"Sure," I said with a quiet laugh, the hot Louisiana sun beating down on my bare legs and shoulders. "Let me just grab my purse and we'll go, okay?"

They followed me inside the house, not leaving my heel for even a second as I grabbed my purse and my keys. "Do you guys need sun block?" I asked, eyeing Mary knowing full well she would be the one to tell me the truth. She innocently shook her head and shoved her fingers inside of her mouth. I laughed and scooped her up in my arms, grabbing Darry's hand gently as we stepped out into the bright sunlight. "Do you guys want to walk or drive?"

"Walk!" Darry answered for the both of them, trying to run ahead of me. "C'mon!" he complained upon seeing I wasn't about to let go of his tiny hand.

All I did was shake my head and tug him back towards me as I set Mary down. I walked in the middle of both of them, holding onto both of their little hands to ensure they didn't wander away too far. This road got slightly busy at certain hours of the night because Merlotte's was so close and I'd be damned if I was going to let them in harm's way.

Finally, after having my arms nearly tugged out of my sockets, we touched down at Merlotte's. Darry had practically pulled Mary and I up the stairs before pushing the heavy doors open, grinning in satisfaction as every eye in the place fell on him. "Samero?" he asked loudly.

I'd told Sam that I had Darry and Mary for the night, so of course he was grinning ear to ear at the sudden interruption. "Darrell, my man!" he greeted, coming around the bar to scoop the little guy up in his arms. "Holy smoke's you're getting heavy!"

Mary, who was shyly hiding behind my leg smiled up at Sam but didn't dare move from her place. Instead she continued to tug at my droopy tank-top so I would pick her up. I did so quite willingly. "Sorry if I'm disrupting, Sam, but they wanted to see everyone."

"Disrupting?" Sam asked, laughing as Darry pulled at the collar of his plaid shirt. "Who are you trying to fool here?" He looked down at the little girl in my arms and instantly smiled and waved at her.

Within seconds Tara came out from the back room and sighed. "Nuh-uh; not these little brats again," she muttered, but an evident smile was plaguing her lips. Darry stuck his tongue out at her to which she returned quite willingly.

"Darry!" I scolded, taking a seat closest to the bar. "Don't be rude."

"Hey, she deserved it." Sam argued which in turn only made Darry grin and do it again.

I rolled my eyes and muttered a quick apology to Tara who only laughed and waved it off. "Believe me, Kat, I've dealt with worse."

Sookie joined us but she seemed a little down. I knew the whole Jessica situation had been taking its toll on her and Bill, but it wasn't until today that I really saw it. I frowned and made sure Mary was comfortable in my lap before I coughed somewhat loudly, getting her attention immediately. _You okay, Sook? _I thought, in hopes her guards were down because of her mood.

She smiled gently at me and nodded her head. She and Bill had a good thing going on, I was sure this would blow over soon enough. I smiled back at her. "Do you remember Sookie?" I whispered to Mary. She in turn nodded her head and gave her a shy wave before burying her head into the crook of my neck.

In seconds Sookie's frown seemed a little less obvious as she walked up to my table. She took a seat across from me and quietly sighed. "I don't start for another fifteen minutes, and I need to talk to somebody."

I nodded and immediately looked at Sam. "Hey, Sam?" he looked up from making two separate vanilla milkshakes. I rolled my eyes; like I said, spoiled rotten. "Could you just watch Darry and Mary for a second, Sook forgot her apron at my house and—"

"Say no more," he cut-in. "Mary, you want a milkshake?"

She looked up at me as if to ask if it was okay. When I nodded, she was off of me in a second flat. I laughed and stood up, Sookie at my heel as we made our way back into the hot sun. When we were out of ear shot, I turned to look at her. "Vent away, my dear."

She sighed and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "It's this whole Bill situation, Kat. I mean, I know he's loyal and I know he loves me but it's Jessica and—" she stopped mid sentence, her brows furrowing anxiously before she took a seat on the edge of a nearby log. "I'm sorry. I would talk about this with Tara but I know she doesn't completely understand this situation, you know? I mean, I know you're not exactly in my exact situation, but you have Eric and you see—"

"I have Eric?" I asked with a quiet laugh.

She turned to look at me in confusion. "What?"

I smiled and took a seat beside her. "Honey, you just said I had Eric. What I have is an old Vampire harassing me because he thinks I smell nice. What you have is the real thing. Bill is in love with you, Sook. He is off the walls in love with you. This whole Jessica thing is messy, don't get me wrong, but it'll pass. She's a Vampire, she's quite nice and pretty cool, but she's no you." I nudged her with my shoulder and pushed my sunglasses further up my nose. "Besides, you have a pulse. That alone is a one-up from little Cherry." I joked, finally getting a legitimate smile from the girl beside me. "Just be patient with it, I know it's aggravating but he loves you and don't doubt that for even a second, okay?"

She slowly nodded and tugged at the white Merlotte's shirt she was wearing before practically throwing her arms around my neck. "Thanks, Kat." She mumbled. We sat in silence after that for a few minutes and it wasn't until she cleared her throat that I even remembered she had been sitting there. "Has Eric really been harassing you?"

I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "He just always seems to come around. Mind you, I think I scared him off two nights ago. I haven't heard or seen from him since then."

Her eyebrows creased together. "What happened two nights ago?"

I let a quiet breath escape through my lips as I gently shook my head. "Well, I told him about that dream I had when I passed out and—"

"How did you pass out, by the way? You never told me."

For some reason, I didn't want to tell her it had been Eric who had hit me against the trunk of a tree a little too hard. I knew she hated him as it was, if I was to tell her he had hit me into a tree, she would have freaked out. I still wasn't sure why I cared about whether or not she hated him, however, and that alone irked me. "I was running home because I heard scary sounds and tripped over a tree stump." I lied with a little laugh. "I guess he was coming to stalk me anyway, because he'd found me and brought me back home. Well, he put me on my porch considering he hadn't been invited in yet."

Sookie's brown eyes widened. "Yet?" she asked. Damn, she was swift. "You mean you've invited him in since then?"

I blinked and awkwardly shuffled my feet into the dirt road beneath us. "Yes. I had some questions about this newfound precognition that everyone is so sure I have, and he had some answers. I would have stayed with him on the porch and had this wonderful chat but it was a chilly night."

I heard Sookie's worried sigh as she turned to face me completely. "I'm not going to harp on about who you should date and who you shouldn't—"

"Sook, I'm not dating Eric."

"—date, but please just take my word on it. Eric does things for his own benefit. It's unsettling how manipulative Vampire's can be, and he—"

"I love ya, Sook, but for someone who isn't supposed to be harping on about who I should or shouldn't be dating, your kind of being a little pushy." I looked at her and sent her a hesitant smile. "I know I'm only twenty-one, but I've been to hell and back and I know how to handle myself." She knew about my sister and my parents, and thankfully that did seem to shut her up on the topic. "But thank you for the heads up, it does mean a lot that you care enough to warn me."

Sookie nodded and flashed me another quick smile all before the front door burst open to reveal Tara. "Kat, Sam is spoiling the shit out of those kids in there and I sure as hell would get in there and stop him before they O.D on sugar."

I laughed and stood up to my full height. I quickly brushed the dust off of my legs and looked across at Sookie who stood up beside me. "You feeling a bit better?" I asked as we walked back into our place of work.

"I am," she said. "Thanks, Katerina."

All I did was wink at her all before noticing Mary and Darrell were sitting on Sam's bar, both with half-empty milkshakes beside them. "Sam, are you kidding me? They finished this much already?" I asked, swooping in to grab the two hyperactive kids. "I am alone over there, Sam! They're never going to let me sleep!"

Sam grinned back at me evilly and shrugged his shoulders. "You bring 'em here, I spoil 'em. You know that by now."

I sighed but smiled at him nonetheless before I looked down at the kids. "We should head home before you two get diabetes."

Sam's eyes widened at my joke and Sookie gently swatted my arm. "You're going straight to hell," Tara commented with a big smile. "I'll save a spot for you, girl."

I laughed and quickly said my goodbye's before practically dragging both kids out with me. "Now what do you guys want to do?" I asked once I'd finally managed to get them home.

"Hide and Seek!" Mary cried out before she and her brother ran up the stairs. I sighed quietly to myself before falling down onto my chair. "1, 2, 3…"

* * *

It was a little after nine o'clock when I finally managed to get the two little monsters to bed. My body ached from the amount of time I'd spent crouched down in tight spaces from playing Hide and Seek, and I was certain I looked like a complete idiot with whiskers and a dark spot on my nose from Mary's face painting.

"Well don't you look seductive."

I jumped and was a second away from screaming when I turned around to see Eric leaning against the wall, his hands in the pockets of slacks. I lowered my hand from my chest and closed my eyes as if to steady my racing heart. "Eric, what the hell?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice down so the twins wouldn't wake up. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here, why do you have whiskers; so many questions." He remarked, looking across at me with his usual monotonous stare. He either looked incredibly bored in my presence or like he was resisting the urge to rip my throat out, there was no happy medium. "Who were the mini humans?"

I laughed quietly. "Mini humans?" I asked, walking past him to tidy the place up a bit. "They're my niece and nephew." I explained, folding up one of Darry's sweatshirts to place back in his bag. "So, by me inviting you in does that mean you have an all access pass into my house at any given time, or something?" I inquired.

He didn't answer me, simply just remained leaning against the wall looking over at me. He was wearing fitting green t-shirt with a pair of dark slacks; he looked good as per usual. "Yes, that is initially how it works." He simply said, watching my every move as I floated around the dining room and kitchen. "Those are your sister's children." He said. "Stella." I wasn't sure if it was meant to be a question, but I froze immediately nonetheless.

I slowly looked at him and put down one of Mary's colouring books. "How do you know about Stella?"

He shrugged and slipped his hands out from his pockets. "As I said, your friend Suzette really can talk your ear off if you ask her the right questions." He crossed his arms over his chest.

I rolled my eyes and went back to working on getting all of the twins' stuff together. "I'm assuming you're not going to ease up on visiting me as often as you do, so word of advice, do not mention Stella or my parents ever again." I swallowed back the lump in my throat. I knew I wasn't going to cry but I always got emotional when I wasn't prepared to hear about my family. It was like a punch to the gut every single time. "It's just cruel."

He must have sensed how serious I was on the matter, because he didn't speak for quite a few minutes after that. Instead, he just watched me. His blue eyes locked into my every brief movement. "Have you had any other dreams since I've seen you last?" he asked me.

"No," I told him honestly. "I mean, I've dreamt that dream since I've seen you, but the only thing that's changed is that the conversation you and that boy are having cuts in and out. It's not all just dead air." I walked over to the sink and grabbed a cloth to begin wiping away the black whiskers on my cheeks. "He says something about love and faith and that's all I get."

"Love and faith?" he repeated in disgust. "You're sure the man you drew is the same one speaking?"

"Yes," I muttered, scrubbing away the kitten nose. "I'm positive." I finished scrubbing away at my face and turned to look at him only to notice his eyes were cast down at the tiled floor beneath him. He looked as if he was in thought, but the second he sensed my eyes on him, he looked up. "He means a lot to you?" I found myself asking before I could even think to stop myself.

He sneered at my words. "What makes you say that?"

With a small shrug of my shoulders I leaned against the counter and took my hair out of its messy bun. "Just an assumption, that's all."

He was pressed up against me in seconds, his hand holding my throat tight enough to restrict my breathing quite considerably. "You shouldn't assume things, Katerina." He spoke to me through clenched teeth, his eyes burning holes into me. "It's unbecoming." He pressed his hand further into my trachea and for a second absolutely no air was getting into my lungs. My heart was hammering against my chest as flashbacks of the night of the attack hammered through my mind. My head was spinning and every inch of my body seemed to be on fire. I choked as I attempted to get some air and thankfully upon seeing this, he let me go.

"Do not _ever_ do that to me again," I threatened my eyes glossy from the amount of oxygen I'd lost. "I don't care if you're a fucking Vampire or not, I will_ kill_ you." I pushed past him and tried to steady my breathing. My hands were trembling and my legs felt like jelly as I walked into the living room; I could feel his eyes on me. "Shit," I cursed under my breath. I leaned against the back of the couch and buried my hands in my hair. I was a trembling mess right now and I'd be damned if I showed Eric that much weakness. "I should revoke my invitation right now." I muttered, but I knew he'd heard me.

"What's stopping you?" I heard him ask. I could just see him casually leaning against the counter as if nothing had even transpired; so careless.

I didn't have an answer for him _or_ myself for that matter. He'd just scared the living hell out of me, choked me and hadn't even apologized and here I was allowing him to be in my house, with my niece and nephew just upstairs, nonetheless. I was putting all three of us in danger by allowing him to stay and yet, there he stood. "Why did you come here, Eric?"

I watched as he crossed the room to stand before me. He bowed his head down just slightly to look at my face. "To see you," he told me. He raised his hand and gently pushed my hair over my shoulder, his cool fingers brushing against my collarbone as he did so. "It's taunting being able to smell you and not do a single thing about it, you know." His long, slender finger traced up my collarbone and onto my bare shoulder, pushing the thin strap of my tank top down so it fell down my arm. I looked up at him as he did this only to notice his eyes were glued into mine. He swirled his finger around my shoulder and continued up until it reached my neck. He kept it on the vein for a moment and smirked to himself upon being able to feel my pulse quicken. The man knew what he was doing, and he knew he was damn good at it.

He took a step closer to me and now the space between us was practically non-existent. His hands latched onto my arms as if to keep me still as he lowered his head into my shoulder. His breath was cold and as it hit my skin I could feel my body react in ways I hoped he couldn't sense. I clamped my legs together tightly as his cold breath was replaced with his tongue. I swallowed hard as his tongue trailed from my shoulder to my collarbone before cruelly inching its way up my neck.

A quiet laugh sounded from behind us and immediately I tore myself away from Eric, ignoring the growl that sounded from the back of his throat. There, in his little Spongebob pyjama's was Darry, holding his teddy bear with a smug look on his little face. "Whose that?" he chuckled, coyly biting his own fingers.

I placed my hands on Eric's shoulders as I felt him tense. I knew he was going to turn around and probably scare Darry half to death and I'd be damned if I was going to let him do that. "He's my friend, Darry. Go upstairs and I'll be up in a second to tuck you in _again_." I watched as the little boy ran up the stairs laughing.

I sighed and went to move, but Eric's strong arms boxed me in. "The child can wait."

"No," I ducked under his arms and escaped him. "That got out of hand; I have to tuck him back in."

Eric growled yet again. "I'll wait,"

"You'll leave," I corrected. "At least until they go home."

His smirk was back. "Then I'll see you soon, Katerina."

I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel to walk back up the stairs. "Close the door behind you this time, you just left it open last time you—"

But he was gone, and the door was wide open. I sighed to myself and turned back around to lock the door. "Cocky son of a bitch," I muttered under my breath before walking back up the steps to join my nephew yet again.

**A/N. So, that's a little on the long side, sorry guys! I promise it'll get a bit more interesting within the next few chapters, if not the next chapter! I hope you guys like it and don't be afraid to leave a review, they're always welcome! P.S. thank you so all of those who have been reviewing and alerting, it really is amazing! x**


	6. Trouble is a Friend

_I could see Lafayette huddled in the corner in a room that I didn't recognize. He was cowering away from somebody and had blood all over him. His cheeks, though stained with blood, were moist with tears as he vigorously shook his head. He looked so scared. He was talking to somebody, but again the buzzing in my head was too loud, and I couldn't hear a single word. It looked as if he was negotiating with the mysterious figure looming over him. _

_Whoever the man was, he stepped right in front of Lafayette and leaned down into him. Eric. Blood dripped down from his chin and onto Lafayette's lap as he spoke to him, his fangs out for all to see. _

I jolted awake just as Darry jumped on my stomach. "Auntie Kat, you fell asleep!" he complained with a small frown on his face.

I couldn't even mutter a small apology as I sat myself up from the stiff couch. My head was spinning and it felt like my entire body was on fire. Was Lafayette with Eric? I knew he'd supposedly gone on a small vacation, or so I heard, but what if that was a lie? What if he was in trouble?

"Stay here, okay?" I told Darrell. All he did was nod and continue on playing with his sister as I made my way onto the porch. It had been three hours since sundown and I knew Ian would be here any minute. I crossed my arms furiously over my chest and let the gentle breeze blow my hair over my shoulder as I tried to settle my nerves. I had tried calling Lafayette the night before I found out Darrell and Mary were coming down for a visit, but I only got the machine. I then texted him and only just realized I hadn't even received a reply. How could I be so stupid?

I chewed on my nails restlessly as I sat myself on the bench-swing. Had he been kidnapped? Was Eric the kidnapper? My mind raced and my stomach churned from the stress of it all. I had barely been getting sleep as it is because of the previous dreams but now that I saw my own friend getting hurt, it was as if I'd been hit by a truck.

A familiar sensation in the back of my mind began to tingle and I knew Eric was close. It was as if my body knew he was coming before I even saw him. Sure enough, within seconds he appeared at the foot of my gravel driveway. "Katerina," he greeted me, his silky smooth voice making me want to kill him even more.

Before I could even think to stop myself, I'd thrown myself at him and angrily shoved him into the hood of my car. However, the second my rage took over me, I felt myself practically fly up the stairs and hit the front of my house with brutal force. Eric stood before me, pressing me into my house with his fangs out. If I hadn't been so sickened by my dream, I probably would have been frightened. "That is no way to greet a guest." He told me, his sharp fangs were illuminated by the pale moon above us making them glisten in a way that made my blood boil.

"What did you do with Lafayette?" I asked angrily, my eyes narrowed into his.

A look of shock registered behind his eyes. "I don't know what you're—"

"Cut the shit, Northman." I seethed, still trying to push the dead weight away from me. "I saw him cowering away from you in the corner of a room and he was covered in blood!"

Eric's blue eyes were locked into my green ones as he tried to read me. I knew he was trying to see inside of my head, to see if he could glamour me one final time but he couldn't and he knew it. "Your friend was selling V, did you know that?"

My eyes widened and I barely noticed his hands fall at his sides. "He's what?"

Eric scoffed and shook his head. "Not so quick to pounce on me now, are you?" he dusted himself off and leaned against the railing of my porch.

"Of course I am!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air dramatically. "So he sold some V, that doesn't give you _any_ right to hurt him, let alone kidnap him!"

"Actually," he began, pushing himself off the railing. "Being that I am the sheriff of this area, it gives me all the right in the world to take care of your little friend." He explained rather rudely. "Now if you don't mind me asking, how did you find this out?" He'd marched right up to me and looked down at me with piercingly angry eyes.

I clenched my jaw. "None of your goddamn business."

He unfolded his arms that were crossed over his chest and boxed me into the house. "Katerina," he warned quietly, dipping his head down so his nose brushed against mine. "How did you find out about this?" he spoke quietly, slowly. He spoke to me as if I was an idiot that couldn't comprehend words fast enough.

"I just dreamt it." I admitted. "If you hurt Lafayette, Eric, I won't hesitate to—"

"To what?" he asked bemusedly. "Kill me? Stake me? I'm over one thousand years old, Katerina." He made sure he got _real_ close to my face before looking into my eyes. "I could drain you before you even think to stop me." He whispered, his gruff voice sending shivers down my spine.

I breathed out slowly and evenly to ensure he couldn't see the obvious fear I had. "Let him go, Eric. I understand what he did was stupid and wrong and that he is in your jurisdiction but he's my friend, he's Sookie's friend –"

"He's unharmed," he finally said, pushing away from me to walk towards the bench-swing. "For the most part, anyway."

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion and walked up to him. "Are you going to let him go?" I asked, standing directly in front of him so he had no choice but to look at me. "Eric?"

He sighed and rolled his sapphire eyes. "You humans are so emotional. He's alive, isn't that enough?"

I threw my hands onto my hips and tapped my foot impatiently. He knew the answer I was looking for and I wasn't going to budge until I heard him promise me that Lafayette would be released. Once again, I heard him sigh as his eyes met mine. "I will release Lafayette." He told me.

"You swear?" I narrowed my eyes angrily.

He smirked. "I swear on my life," he joked. Wow, he must have thought I was some kind of idiot. When he saw that there was absolutely no trace of a smile on my lips he rolled his eyes once again and stood up to his full height. "You have my word." He vowed, not looking pleased whatsoever.

"Thank-you," I mumbled. "Because _I'm_ going to kill him for selling V." I admitted sheepishly wrapping my cardigan tighter around my body. "Stupid idiot."

Eric's smirk was all I saw as his hands gingerly moved around my hips. "Mmm," he groaned, holding me in place as he backed me up against the railing. "I like this side of you," he hummed. "This fiery," he placed a kiss on my earlobe, "sexy," another kiss on my neck, "and seductive side of you." He went to work on my neck again but I found it in myself to push him away. Not exactly with the strong conviction that was intended, but a little shove nonetheless.

"You're still in my bad books, Eric," my cheeks were bright red but I stood my ground. "You kidnapped my friend."

Just as he opened his mouth with a retort, I could hear the sound of tires crushing gravel coming down the road and I knew it was Ian. An immediate frown graced my lips as my shoulders fell. "Get inside, it's Ian." I told him miserably, opening the door up for the both of us to walk inside.

Immediately Darrell and Mary looked up at the tall, blonde unknown man and fell silent. Darrell's cheeky grin was the first thing I saw as he was the first of the two to walk up to Eric. "Are you a Vampire?"

My eyes widened and I was about to tell Darrell off, but Eric had already bent down to his level and smirked. _Uh-oh_. Before he had the chance to say anything and scare the poor kid half to death, I quickly stepped in between them and picked Darry up. "Well, aren't you Mr. Observant," I cooed, squeezing onto him before placing a quick kiss on his temple. "Go get Mary's teddy bear from upstairs, your dad's here." I frowned again and let him squirm away from him as he happily ran up the stairs to retrieve Mary's stuffed animal.

I caught Eric's eyes only to see he was staring at me curiously. I instantly dropped my gaze back down to Mary before pushing out a smile. "You going to miss me?" I asked, twirling one of her blonde curls lovingly.

She nodded shyly and hugged my leg. I laughed quietly and placed my hand on top of her head just as a few loud knocks sounded from the door. The second I heard those knocks it was as if I had been punched; I really didn't want them to leave so soon. They were the only family I had left and not knowing when I was going to see them next killed me inside. I cleared my throat quietly and gently picked Mary up. "Excited to see your dad?" I whispered, kissing her forehead just as I opened the door. However, when I opened the door to none other than Elizabeth, I instantly dropped my shoulders in annoyance. "Elizabeth," I greeted with a stiff smile. "How was the trip?"

She ignored me completely and instead let her eyes wander over towards Eric. Her entire demeanour seemed to change as she looked across at him; her face contorted in disgust and her eyes narrowed into thin slits. Eric, who had been casually leaning across the back of my couch instantly sat up straighter and watched her through dangerous eyes. He didn't even have to glare at her, he already looked lethal. "Liz?" I asked uncertainly, bringing Darry into my hip to keep him close as he joined us.

That seemed to snap her out of her angry trance, but not for long. "What in God's name do you think you're doing having a Vampire in your house?" she asked me, her thick accent dripping from her every word.

I blinked and tilted my head to the side. "Excuse me?" I had always been civil towards Elizabeth, even if every bone in my body seemed to hate her, but I wasn't about to tolerate being talked down to in my own home.

"You heard me," she snapped, reaching forward to grab Darry's arm. She dragged him away from me, yanking his arm hard enough for him to cry out in pain.

"Hey!" I screamed, gently putting Mary down behind me before turning back around to face Liz. "Don't you _dare_ grab him like that ever again!" I yelled, watching as he tried to squirm his way out of her hands. "Let him go!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes just as Ian came out of the car to check on us. "What's going on he—" he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Eric standing tall beside me. His back was up and every visible muscle seemed to be tensed. "Who the fuck is that?" Ian asked, swearing so blatantly in front of Mary and Darrell.

"What?" I asked in shock. "Your girlfriend just grabbed your son hard enough that he is now crying and you're asking me who _he_ is?"

"She's got herself a Vampire," Elizabeth explained. "Looks like an old one, too." She spat out, her lips curling into a snarl. "How sickening."

I felt Eric tense beside me but tried to ignore it. "You have no right coming into my home and—" Ian marched right past me and grabbed Mary into his arms, looking across at me like I was nothing more than piece of garbage. "Ian, don't do this." I practically begged, my heart breaking as both Darrell and Mary started crying. "It's not fair to them, please we can—"

"I'll tell you what's not fair, Katerina." He seethed, handing Mary over to Liz carefully. "Their mother was killed by one of them and yet you allow him in your house as if nothing happened?" He took a step closer to me as Liz stood behind him, holding the children back away from me. "They killed your sister. Did you forget about that?" My blood ran cold as I bit my tongue; I wasn't going to say anything in front of Darry or Mary. "Put them in the car, Liz."

"No!" I cried out. "At least let me say goodbye to them!" I went to move past Ian but Liz was too quick in snatching them up. "Stop!" I tried again, but before I could get another word out, Ian grabbed me and shoved me up against the door.

I felt a gust of wind pass by me and before I could even blink Eric had Ian by the throat. He said nothing, but the hate behind those eyes of his was enough to get the point across. He was angry and he was sure as hell going to make Ian see just how pissed off he was.

"Eric," I pushed myself off of the wall and put a hand on his tensed shoulder. "Let him go, its okay."

I wasn't even sure if he'd heard me at first because he remained still, holding Ian against the wall with ease. However, not a moment later, I watched as his arms fell to his sides as he finally let Ian go. He sputtered and coughed for a moment before looking back up at me with disdain clear in his eyes. "You were the only survivor that night, and here you are – _fucking_ the very thing that killed your whole family." He shook his head and took one last glance at Eric before a bitter scoff escaped his lips. "You will get what's coming to you, Katerina."

I watched him walk off to his SUV, too stunned and embarrassed to do a single thing about it. I must have just stood there for a good hour, completely mute. Eric hadn't moved even a muscle for what felt like the longest time before he finally turned to look at me with an indecipherable expression etched across his face. "Those children would have been yours if you just let me kill him."

All I could do was blink and stumble over towards the nearest chair. "They've lost one parent as it is, they don't need to lose another." I breathed out quietly and finally let my eyes saunter towards Eric. "Thanks, though." I mumbled with a puckered brow.

An awkward silence fell between us but before it could escalate I stood up to my full height and looked over at him. "I'm going for a drive." I simply said, grabbing my car keys off of the table behind me. "I need to clear my head." He didn't try to stop me; he simply just looked up at me and nodded his head. He remained seated and watched as I threw on an old pair of brown boots. I said nothing to him as I walked out of the house, knowing full well he'd escort himself out when he was ready to.

Once I was inside the car I felt smaller than ever; my whole world seemed to be closing in on me and all I could do was sit back and watch. I was never one to verbalize my problems; in fact I'd gotten so used to being quiet that the idea of laying my problems on somebody else seemed foolish. But as I sat all by myself in my old beat up car, the only thing I wanted to do was talk to somebody. I started the car up and before I knew it I was driving to Sookie's house. I decided I should probably phone her first, just in case I was interrupting anything. Thankfully, she picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" she asked. I silently rejoiced at the fact she sounded fully awake.

"Sook?" I asked quietly. "It's Kat."

"What's wrong?" she immediately asked. "Do you want me to come over?"

I laughed quietly and shook my head despite the fact she couldn't see me. "Not necessary, I'm on my way to your house, is that alright?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Bill's over but I'll send him home."

Usually I would have fought her on the subject but the tears were way too close from spilling for me to argue. "Thanks, Sook."

"Don't you even think to thank me, girlfriend, just get your butt over here and we'll talk, alright?"

I smiled despite my current mood. "Alright. I'll be there in like fifteen minutes."

"I'll see ya then, Kat." She said, I could hear the worry in her voice. "Drive safe."

"I will," I promised. "See ya soon." And with that I hung up. I had only been driving for ten minutes when some idiot redneck in a blue pick-up truck started honking at me to speed up. I rolled my eyes and checked the speedometer. I was going ten above the speed limit already and I'd be damned if I was going to fly down this road going over eighty. It had way too much gravel; I knew I'd lose control.

But, lo and behold, he continued to honk. Screaming at me with his window rolled down to 'hurry my ass up'. _Prick_. I rolled my window down and signalled for him to go around me. I watched as he finally got the hint and pulled into the left lane to pass me. Stupidly enough it was on a hill, but I made sure I slowed my speed down enough so he could pass me without trouble.

"Next time drive faster, will ya?" he screamed at me as he pulled up beside me.

I rolled my eyes and focused on the road ahead of me in annoyance all before my heart seemed to stop. I watched as pair of bright headlights began to creep up the hill. "Pass me!" I yelled for him to hear.

The next minute seemed to go by in slow motion. He immediately swerved into my lane to avoid the large transport truck coming towards him and side-swiped my car right into the shoulder. I remember screaming and trying to control the car all before the car eventually tipped off the road. I felt my head smash into the steering wheel as the car rolled down the shallow ditch before everything around me disappeared and faded to black.

**A/N. dum dum dummmmm. Aha I hope you guys like it, let me know! Thanks to all of those reviewing and all of the alerts, it means a lot, dears! x**


	7. Min Blod

**Sookie Stackhouse**

I glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed as I chewed on my nail anxiously. "She should be here by now." I said, looking over at Bill who sat stoically beside me. "Bill, she said fifteen minutes and it's nearly been a half an hour!"

His eyes flickered towards the window before he quietly got up to his feet. "I'll drop in on Miss Katerina to see if everything is okay."

I finally pulled my hand away from my mouth and slowly nodded my head. "I'm sure it's just me being paranoid but at least I'll know what's taking her so long." He nodded and gave me a small, reassuring smile before leaving the house. I shut my eyes and tried to concentrate on seeing if I could hear her, but all I was met with was dead air. Something was wrong, I could feel it. I nervously paced the floor and peered out the window in hopes I'd see her ratty old car pulling into the driveway; nothing. I walked into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Kat and I both had work tomorrow morning but I knew she would need to talk about whatever happened and I wasn't about to fall asleep on the poor thing halfway through our girls night.

I heard the main door open and I nearly jumped about a foot in the air. "Bill?" I asked, immediately walking into the main foyer. My eyes widened as soon as I realized just what it was that I was looking at. Katerina's battered and bloody body was draped unconsciously in Bill's arms. He looked like he was carrying a bloody rag doll rather than an actual human being. My heart skipped a beat as I reeled forward in disbelief. "What happened?" I asked as he placed her unconscious body onto the couch.

"I found her car off of the road about a mile or two away." He said, his dark eyebrows puckered together as he watched me grab her hand. "I have to go and get Eric Northman." He muttered darkly, not letting his eyes falter from Katerina's still body.

"What?" I nearly screamed. "Bill, it doesn't matter, just heal her! We can't wait for Eric to show up, he could be in Timbuktu for all we know; we don't have that kind of time!" I turned back around to face Katerina and nearly cried at the state of her. Her long, beautiful hair was caked in blood and there was a gash deeper than the red sea on her forehead. She had scratches covering her legs, neck and all around her face; if she wasn't dead already she was damn close. "Bill!" I screamed out again, facing him angrily.

He shook his head sadly. "He's claimed her, Sookie." He told me. "I can't just give her my blood or vice versa." He looked down at Katerina one last time before looking back up at me. "I'll be back with Eric very soon, I promise."

I could do nothing more than simply nod at him before watching him leave. I immediately got up to my feet and grabbed the nearest cloth to begin applying some pressure to the wound on her head. "It's going to be okay, Katerina." I told her.

Her eyes slowly fell open, but she was miles away. "Sook?" she choked out, sputtering up some blood as she tried to get her breathing steadied out.

"Shh," I cooed, wiping her hair away from her bloody forehead. "Don't talk, okay? Bill will be right back and everything will be okay." I pushed out a tight but reassuring smile but she only continued to stare up at the ceiling. I put the towel on the deep gash and pressed down as gently as I possibly could which only made her groan in pain. She writhed underneath the towel and the sound that escaped through her lips sounded absolutely heartbreaking. I was hurting her, but it needed to be done. "I know it hurts; I'm sorry," I whispered, swallowing back the lump in my throat.

Her eyes fell shut again and panic sunk in. "Katerina," I said loudly. "Katerina, you better listen here. You have to keep your eyes open for me just a little longer, okay?"

She blinked and I could tell her eyelids must have been heavier than a bundle of rocks. She groaned and cried out in pain as all of her injuries seemed to sink in. She grumbled something but I couldn't understand what she was saying. "It's okay, sweetie." I soothed, removing the towel to see if the blood was slowing down at all. I frowned and immediately covered the deep wound back up upon seeing the blood continue to pool.

I tried to stay out of her head knowing full well her thoughts we're only going to make matters worse. She was dying and I was sure she knew it, too; the last thing I wanted to hear were the thoughts of my dying friend. "Kat, please stay with me," I begged, rubbing her hand soothingly.

"Sookie."

I snapped my head up from Katerina's pained face only to notice Bill had slipped in beside me. "You have to allow Eric inside or—"

I looked up only to notice Eric's stoic body standing at the doorway. He looked very calm and it only seemed to irk me more. I knew he must have seen death in all of the years he'd been alive but would it kill him to look like he cared at all? "It's fine! Get in here! Just help her!"

He was beside Bill and I in a blink, standing over Katerina's lifeless frame serenely. He tore off his leather jacket and rolled up his sleeve so that the flesh of his wrist was visible. "You'll need to move out of the way, Ms. Stackhouse." He said, looking over at me unwearyingly. I nodded and got up to my feet. My hands and arms were covered in Katerina's blood but Bill still managed to put one of his arms around my waist in comfort. I pushed out a strangled smile before turning all of my attention back to Katerina.

"Katerina, look at me." Eric ordered, shuffling over so he kneeled in the place where I had just been. Her eyes barely opened at his words. I watched as Eric gently tilted her head back so that her chin was pointed up towards the ceiling. With one hand still holding her head in place, I watched as he bit down on his own wrist. The sound of his flesh tearing was all that could be heard before he gently opened her mouth. Her eyes had fallen shut again, but he made sure that his bleeding wrist was inside of her mouth. "Drink." He ordered.

I felt Bill's arm tighten around my waist as his wound closed up. My own heart was hammering against my ribs nervously. "Katerina, you have to listen to him!" I practically screamed.

"Sookie," Bill soothed, nodding at me subtly as if to tell me it would all be alright.

Eric sighed in annoyance before he tipped her head back up. I wasn't even sure if she was denying his blood or just slipping in and out of consciousness. "Drink." He ordered yet again, nicking his wrist with his fangs one more time before practically shoving the bloody mess into her mouth.

Katerina's arm twitched within seconds of his second try. Eric's shoulder's squared off as a look of dark pleasure flickered across his face. Within seconds, Katerina's bloody arms had reached up to grab onto his wrist, holding it in place as she drank from him.

I breathed out a sigh of relief and looked over at Bill. I let my forehead fall onto his shoulder as relief took over me. "Thank-you," I mumbled out in gratitude. Bill simply smiled slightly back at me and nodded his head in understanding.

**Katerina Prekovich**

I wasn't even sure what I was drinking. It felt like velvet going down my throat and it tasted better than anything I've ever drank in my entire life. It was intoxicating, exhilarating; I could feel every single hair on my body stand on edge as I drank from the mysterious cure.

I reached out to grab onto whatever it was I was drinking and immediately my eyes snapped open. Eric's eyes were the first ones I saw as I sucked the blood out of his wrist. I wanted to pull away at that revelation, but for as sickening as the idea was, the feeling it was giving me trumped my logic. It was not only healing me, but it was as if every single fibre in my body was stimulated, on fire. His fangs came out seconds later but before I could get another drop, he breathlessly pulled his wrist away and swallowed hard. "That's enough."

Sookie's head popped over Eric's shoulder and I couldn't help but smile up at her. I may have been in an extremely turned on and tired state, but I was glad to have Sookie there. "Hey Sook," I mumbled tiredly, my eyelids feeling heavier than ever before. "I'm sorry I bled on your couch."

I heard her chuckle but found it nearly impossible to open my eyes. "I'm just glad you're alive. Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear?"

I nodded slightly. "You got it." I muttered before succumbing to my intense need for sleep.

* * *

_Eric's tongue delved out from behind his fangs and swirled around the flesh of my neck. His large hands trailed down my body before I felt him cup my ass to lift me onto the table behind me. I moaned as his lips moved from my neck, kissing and licking all the way up my jaw until his lips met mine. I immediately grabbed his face to bring him closer to me, my own tongue gliding across his lips teasingly. _

_He groaned and rocked his hips into me, ensuring I felt his erection straining against his dark pants. I smirked into our kiss and gently bit down on his bottom lip. "Eric," I moaned out as his right hand unzipped the back of my dress. _

_A low growl seemed to escape his lips upon hearing his name roll off of my tongue. "Don't test me, Katerina," he whispered against me. Within seconds I felt his cool hands working the clasp of my strapless bra and before I knew it, the black material slid off of my slim body and onto the floor beneath us. _

_I cocked an eyebrow up at him and smirked upon watching as he suavely dipped his head down to my breast. "Delicious," he mused before placing his lips around my pert nipple. I hissed in pleasure at the sensation. It was so cold to the point that his tongue almost felt warm against my breast. I shivered and writhed against him, digging my fingers into his blonde hair as he worked wonders on my breast. "Oh my God," I murmured, throwing my head back in pure ecstasy. I felt one of his fangs rake over the extremely sensitive flesh and I swear I could have died. _

_I bit my lip to keep quiet, but upon feeling his other hand gingerly creep up my thigh I knew it wasn't going to do much. "I want to hear you, Katerina," he rasped out. "Don't hold back." _

When my eyes snapped open it was as if a fire had been lit inside of me. It had felt so real that not only was I nearly sweating from the experience, but I could feel the effects of it between my thighs. I knew whatever underwear I had on would definitely have felt the effects first hand. "Wow," I whispered quietly, pushing my dark brown hair away from my face as I moved to sit myself up. However, my movements stopped almost instantly upon noticing that I was no longer in Sookie's living room but rather my own bedroom.

I blinked and slowly turned my head to the right only to notice Eric was lying beside me, staring up at the ceiling with his hands draped over his chest. My cheeks couldn't have burned a deeper crimson then they had been upon noticing the blonde Vampire beside me. _Oh my God…_ I thought horrifically as I tried to focus on anything besides my previous dream. I swallowed hard and noticed he was in that black wife beater again; the one that made his defined muscles seem all the more ravishing. I almost prayed that hadn't noticed my sudden awakening; that he would realize he only had a few hours until dawn and would quickly make his way home. But, as he lulled his head to face me, I knew I was too hopeful. "You look good for someone who drove herself off of a cliff."

I flushed. "Well, I guess I have you to thank for that." I mumbled sheepishly. I stirred and went to get up only before feeling extremely…naked beneath the safety of the sheets above me. I froze and subtly glanced underneath the duvet only to feel my cheeks burn even hotter. I was only left in my bra and panties; my shirt, cardigan and my shorts suddenly missing. When I turned back around to face him I noticed he was smirking up at the ceiling. "You stripped me?" I squeaked out.

He turned to face me yet again. "You were covered in your own blood, Katerina. I did you a favour." He said, but the humour behind his eyes was enough to tell me it wasn't exactly a chore.

I swallowed and rolled my eyes all before noticing all of the blood on my arms had been wiped clean. "Did you give me a bath, or something?" I raised my arm up and surveyed the clean skin.

He smirked darkly. "Or something," he only said.

We fell into another bout of silence but I had one too many questions hammering through my skull to keep quiet. I felt different, _very_ different. I had just survived a brutal car accident and yet I felt so alive, as if I could see the world in Technicolor for the first time in my life. The blankets were softer, the moon was brighter; my senses were at an all time high. It wasn't only that, though. As I looked to the side of me towards Eric, I could literally feel my hormones pulsing inside of me, bouncing around my body as if I'd catch on fire. I had already been having a terrible time trying to ignore the way my body reacted to him but it seemed twenty million times worse now. "Thanks for whatever it was that you did." I finally said as I turned to face him completely, ensuring my legs were clamped shut.

I felt the bed give a bit of a shake before the space directly beside me sunk in. Eric had rolled onto his side to get a better look at me, resting his temple resting on his palm as casual as could be. "You don't remember?" he spoke quietly, his eyes skimmed down towards the small bit of cleavage I had poking out from underneath the blanket. I felt the heat spread in between my legs again; _what was this man doing to me_? When he looked back up at my face, he smirked knowingly. "You fed from me."

I _fed_ from him. Images of his bloody wrist and my ever-awaiting mouth penetrated into me and I felt the familiar feeling of lust overwhelm me yet again. The velvety drink; the warm, seductive juice that had dripped down my throat had been his own blood. "I drank your blood." I buzzed, blinking slowly.

He nodded. "You did," he told me. "And I suppose you're feeling the effects from it quite strongly."

"It?" I hesitantly asked.

He smirked devilishly down at me and let his free hand fall into space in between us. "Vampire's blood," he whispered hoarsely. "_Min_ blod." _My blood_. His long, slender finger slowly trailed along the covers between us before inching its way up to my waist. "You feel alive but in a whole new way, correct?" I shivered as his finger continued to trail up my body. He may have been on top of the thick duvet, but my body was reacting all the same. "With my blood flowing through your veins you're able to see things differently; your senses are heightened."

"Is that all that's changed?" I found my voice but it wasn't nearly as strong as I'd hoped it would be. I wanted nothing more than to reach for his hand and make him cup my breasts, but thankfully the little self-control I had left kept me at bay.

He shook his head and smirked. His eyes fell to his finger as he gently tugged down the thick blanket to exposing my bra and cleavage. "Because my blood runs in your veins now, I'm able to sense what you're feeling. If you get scared, I feel it. If you feel happy, I feel it." He pulled the blanket far enough down my body so his entire hand could rest just below the fabric of my bra. "When you feel aroused," his eyes met mine once again and his smirk was the biggest it's ever been. "Jag känna den." _I feel it._

I blushed an even deeper red at this little revelation. Not only did _I_ know my thighs were getting increasingly hotter, but now I was finding out he did, too. _Shit_. "How long does it usually last for?" I asked, my voice still low and breathy.

Eric grinned wolfishly and slid in a tad closer than he had been just a moment prior. "However long it is you plan to live." Before I could so much as think up a retort, he'd rolled me over so I straddled his waist. I tried to squirm out of his arms but the grasp he had on my waist was enough to keep me in place. "So quick to leave?" he asked, sliding himself up effortlessly so he could sit against the backboard. "I would think you would want to thank me in some way. I _did_ save your life." He leaned forward as his nose brushed along my jaw. His large hands, though still holding me in place, trailed down the sides of my stomach.

His lips were on my neck once again and I had to fight to keep my eyes open as the pleasure of his mouth hit me full force. "Thank-you, Eric." I breathed out, trying to keep the certainty behind my voice clear.

He pulled away from my neck and smirked up at me. "Not exactly what I had in mind." He muttered darkly and in flash, his fangs were out. Before I even had time to scream, he reeled forward and sank his teeth into my neck. My nails instantly dug into his shoulder as I attempted to push him away, but his grip was much too strong. He forced me down onto his lap as he drank from me. I'd never expected it to feel so…sensual. My body arched into his bite despite what my brain was screaming out for me to do, and before I knew it, a tiny moan escaped through my lips. I could feel his erection pressing into my thigh as he continued to feed from me but it was too late. My eyelids were heavy again, my head was spinning – just like that, I was pulled into a Vampire induced oblivion for the second time that night.

* * *

**A/N. You guys are honestly so amazing, thank you for all of the feedback and everything. Again, if you're Swedish, I apologize for the translations they're super rough translations, I know. x**


	8. Biting

If I heard one more comment about me being a fangbanger I was going to snap. I'd started work just a little over an hour ago and all people were mumbling about was the goddamn bite marks that Eric had so graciously left on the right side of my neck.

'Do Vampire's just go for Merlotte's waitresses?' one woman asked her husband as I poured some coffee at the table behind them.

'Fucking Vampire sluts are everywhere these days.' An old redneck remarked thinking he was being so quiet talking to his chums.

Needless to say, after hearing all of the quips that everybody was saying behind my back, I was livid. I was working the two to eight shift and I had just a little under an hour left before I could curl up under the covers of my bed and hide myself away from the world, away from all of the nosy people of Bon Temps.

"Order up," Terry called from the kitchen.

My head snapped up as I collected the cruddy tip a group of truckers left me before I made my way to Terry. "Thanks, Terry." I mumbled half-heartedly, shoving the five dollar bill into my apron. I looked down at the order and noticed it was going to table five; an incredibly rude and vulgar group of men. I almost snarled down at the grilled cheese and home fries.

"Don't let 'em get to you, Kat," Terry's voice told me from behind the counter. I looked up from the sandwich and shot him a small tight smile in gratitude. "They don't know nothing."

I nodded and turned on my heel to head towards the idiots at table five. They had already drank half their weight in pitchers of beer, so it was no surprise that I felt one of their hands creep up the side of my leg. I clenched my jaw and pushed his hand back towards his lap. "Your grilled cheese," I muttered through clenched teeth. Before he had time to retort, I walked away to head towards Tara and Sam at the bar. "I am going to kill somebody today," I mumbled after I told them I needed two cokes and one beer.

"Welcome to the club," Tara said, crossing her arms over her chest as she eyed the same table I had just been to. Sam sighed and shook his head as he went to work on the actual drink order. "If those idiots make me pour one more goddamn pitcher of beer, I will knock their thick idiot heads into the table.

I chuckled and placed the drinks on the tray as Sam handed them over to me. "I'll take the right side of the booth and you can take the left, girlfriend."

Tara looked over at me and smiled. "I like you, Kat," I smiled at this and picked up my tray. "I mean, I think you're crazy for letting a Vampire suck your blood, but I like you."

My smile faltered instantly and I let out a low growl to myself as I backed away from the bar. Was nobody going to give me a break about this? I didn't even let him bite me! Admittedly, I didn't exactly beat him off with a silver chain, but it wasn't as if I asked to be bitten. My scowl must have been huge by the time I'd reached the respectful table, but I could care less. If these idiots wanted a friendly waitress they shouldn't be running their mouths the way they were.

I noticed Sookie come in from the corner of my eye only to get flagged down by Tara. In less than eight seconds, I would not only have the entire restaurant bitching about my supposed _dangerous escapades _but I would have one of my best friends attacking me about it, too. Oh, what a day. I walked over towards the table that had left me the tip and began cleaning it up. They'd spilled their ranch dip, some beer as well as left a huge mass of crumbs behind – it was disgusting. I began to scrub away at the mess just as Sookie approached me, her hands on her hips. I clenched my jaw and didn't even bother looking up at her. "Sookie, whatever it is you're going to tell me, I don't want to hear it. All I've been hearing since I came in this afternoon was how much of a slut I am for _letting_ a Vampire bite my neck."

"When did this happen, missy?" she asked, tapping her foot expectantly.

My breathing was slowing down as I concentrated on practically scrubbing the tarnish off of the table. "Last night. Or extremely early this morning – I don't even know. All I know is that dead little bastard had the nerve to bite me without my consent. I mean, not that I would have said yes, even if he had asked…but still." Everything had been cleaned up by now, but I still couldn't stop scrubbing away. "Bill asked you before he bit you." I remembered bitterly. "Bill's a gentleman. You get a gentleman and I get Eric; the pillaging Viking who attacks my neck before I could even think to stop him."

I could see Sookie's concerned face relax into an almost amused, lazy grin. "You know, for someone who supposedly didn't have anything to say on the matter, you're spilling an awful lot."

I finally looked up at her face and glared at the satisfactory smile I was getting from her. "Oh, don't you dare give me that look." I muttered in antipathy. "I wouldn't have accepted his damn blood if I knew he was just wanting my own in return."

Her smile had vanished. "Katerina Prekovich, you take that back! You would have died!" she whispered the last part so only I could hear. And considering every single ear in the place was not-so-subtly listening in, it was much appreciated.

I ignored that reminder and continued on scrubbing away in my angry reverie. "You know they can feel you and stuff when you drink from them?" I shook my head, repulsed. "He can sense this right now! He knows I'm pissed off. Murderous, even! And I bet he's wearing that damn little smirk knowing full what he's done." I scoffed as the wood table beneath me took a beating from the cleaner.

I could sense Sookie's eyes watching me carefully. "Was that all he told you?" I ignored her and scrubbed my life away. "Kat." She prodded, trying to get my attention. Finally, she grabbed my arm and yanked the cloth right out of it. "Katerina! Was that all Eric said about what happened after you drink Vampire blood?"

I shrugged. "Asides from my senses being heightened, yes." I watched as her eyes went slightly wide and I could feel my anger pick up. "What in the hell did that asshole leave out?" She remained silent, but I wasn't having any of that. "Sookie Stackhouse you tell me _right_ now whatever it is you know!"

She shuffled awkwardly. "Well, it's just that…" she stopped but once she saw the seriousness in my eyes, she went on. "Your…well, your libido and stuff is heightened." She looked around at the restaurant to ensure nobody could hear her.

I blinked. "_Stuff_." I repeated venomously. "What in the hell do you mean by _stuff_?"

She cleared her throat and leaned in closer. "Um, well," she pulled me closer to her to keep prying ears away. "You're going to feel a lot of sexual tension now, if you haven't already. By drinking Eric's blood your attraction to him becomes stronger. Almost irresistible."

I was sure I was grinding my teeth down to powder. "You have got to be fucking kidding me, Sook." I breathed out evenly but it wasn't going to calm me down whatsoever. "You texted me earlier about going to Fangtasia, right?"

She looked confused. "Yeah. Eric asked Bill and I to come down to talk to us. He said it was imp—"

"I'll meet you there, then." I said immediately, plotting out the various ways I could wipe that perfect grin off of his pale face.

"What?" she asked carefully. "Kat, I don't think—"

I laughed bitterly. "Don't even try to talk sense into me, Sook. I am _murderous_ right now and that is because of Eric. I'm going right after my shift whether you like it or not. I'm taking the stupid rental car and I'm giving him hell."

"'Scuse me Miss waitress!" I snapped my head towards my last table, table five, and wanted nothing more than to kill each one of them. "Can we get another round of beer? Or is your pretty little ass too busy for that?"

I bit down on the inside of my cheek and squeezed the rag as if it were his neck. "Coming right up." I muttered before turning my attention back to Sookie. "If you excuse me, I have assholes to tend to." I walked towards the bar and felt nearly every eye on me as I tried my best to be calm and collected.

"Want me to kick their ass?" Tara asked, putting the pitcher under the tap as she glared at the table.

I simply shook my head and clenched my jaw. "I'll let you know." I winked.

Tara smirked and slid the pitcher over towards me. "Show 'em no mercy." She told me just before I went back to the table.

All four men were watching me intently as I placed the pitcher directly in the middle of their table, scooping up their empty one with ease. "Anything else I can get you?" I was holding the handle of the empty pitcher so hard I was sure the handle would snap.

The man with too much facial hair grinned like a slime ball up at me. "No, sweet cheeks that'd be all." I shot him the falsest smile I could muster up and went to turn around all before I felt his hand wrap around my wrist. I snapped around to face him yet again only to see he was smirking like an idiot. "Can I ask you a question?" I didn't even try to push out a smile as I stared down at him. "What made you want to fuck a Vampire? Did he play with those big ol' titties for a little while and you kind of just went with it or what?"

A pin could drop in Merlotte's once he'd said that. Customers and employees alike just stared at the pig as if he were either the bravest man in the room or the most revolting. I immediately clenched my fists and grabbed the pitcher of beer back from them. "Would it have been okay if _you_ left these marks on my neck? Huh?" I yelled, pouring the pitcher directly onto his lap. "If it was some damn hickey left by a stupid redneck, would _that_ make it any better?" He got up immediately at the shock of the cold beer being poured down onto his lap but I was way too pissed off to back down. "Would you still be such a fucking asshole then?" I screamed, the stress of having everybody shit on me all day long finally taking its toll.

"You bitch!" he screamed, patting away at his pants. He looked back up at me and growled out a response. "An eighty year old pervert-rapist could have sucked on that neck of yours and it still would have been better than some fucking Vampire."

I opened my mouth to say something when I heard Terry come up behind me, a pool stick in his hand. "You don't talk to a lady like that." He said bravely, glaring at the redneck in front of us.

"It's fine, Terry." I muttered, not wanting to see four men take on my good friend. He may have been a soldier once upon a time, but one against four is still a battle that he didn't deserve to partake in.

He didn't look at me, he kept his icy stare on the men before us. "No it aint. No redneck is going to come into Merlotte's and insult a woman."

I noticed one of his friends step up to give Terry a hard time, but I wasn't going to have that. I marched right up to him and pushed him back down onto the seat. "Sit down and eat your goddamn grilled cheese." I was surprised by my own strength, but he'd pissed me off to the point where my adrenaline was running full force. He tried to get back up but once he'd felt me push him down again he remained down.

I turned around only to see Terry trying to sustain a smirk. "Thanks, Terry." I mumbled, walking towards the bar to look at Sam. I knew I had at least twenty minutes of work left but I was hoping once he'd seen how angry I was he would send me home.

"Sam?"

All he did was nod in understanding. "But we're talking first thing tomorrow morning." I nodded and threw off my apron to shove into my purse.

Sookie followed me to the back and instantly enveloped me into a warm embrace. "I'll see you later; don't let him get to you." I wish I knew if she meant the redneck or Eric, but I nodded nonetheless and left Merlotte's without so much as a second glance at table five. I did, however, smirk in satisfaction upon seeing Sam and Terry escort the group out of the bar and grill.

* * *

I walked past the entire crowd outside of Fangtasia fuming. I wanted nothing more than to scream and kick and punch Eric Northman for all of the hassle he'd caused me, especially after his little bite and I'd be damned if I left his bar without him hearing a piece of my mind.

I noticed Pam standing behind the velvet ropes and the second her eyes met mine, an easy smirk broke out across her face. Her eyes scanned over my entire body. "Well, don't you look darling." I had gone home to do a quick change considering I smelled like beer and had decided on a simple pair of dark jeans and a fitted royal blue t-shirt. Fortunately, seeing as how the shirt did show off quite a bit of chest, I had decided on wearing a scarf around my neck. Sure, I looked like I should be off basking in the arctic with the thick material around my neck, but it was better than having the bite marks out for all to see.

"Is Eric inside?" I asked without so much as sending her a smile.

Her eyebrow perked up at my brazen attitude. "Seems he's picked himself quite a fiery one, hasn't he?"

I bit down on my cheek. "Is he inside?" I repeated.

She must have noticed the seriousness I held behind my obvious agitation but she didn't seem to care in the slightest. "It's a shame that man doesn't share his…" she surveyed me once again, her plump lips pulling up into a sinister smile. But she never finished her sentence; she just let it hang in the air to eventually disappear into the wind. His what? His meal plan? There was no _us_, there was an Eric and there was a Katerina; I was no more his than he was mine. Finally her arm dipped down to the red velvet rope as she let me inside. "You know where to find him." Her eyes faltered down to the scarf and right then I knew she was aware he'd bitten me. I mentally scorned Eric yet again as I made my way inside the bar. It was freezing in there so the thick scarf around my neck wasn't nearly as bad as it had been outside.

I recognized the song playing around me, the bass shaking the entire bar as people danced, drank and perched themselves around the crowded bar. But even then, in the midst of the chaos that was the crowd separating me from the stage, Eric's blue eyes flickered towards me in an instant. Though I hated to admit it, he looked amazing as per usual. He wore a fitted black shirt with a leather jacket overtop and his usual dark slacks. My stomach did a twist and I could have punched myself. _Get a hold of yourself, Katerina!_ I scorned myself. His eyebrow perked up but he didn't make a move to get up. Instead, in his high and mighty glory, he'd beckoned me towards him with a simple hand gesture. No, a _two-finger_ gesture; he couldn't even be bothered to move his entire hand to call on me. "Always the gentleman." I mumbled to no one in particular as I made my way through the crowd. It didn't take very long to get to the elevated stage, but instead of climbing up the stairs I stood below him, looking up at him impatiently.

His eyes remained on me, ignoring a few of the females who had been trying so desperately to get his attention. He said nothing, but again, his eyebrow rose in query. It was as if he was challenging me; challenging me to refuse him. I had a plan that I would scream my lungs out at him, cause a huge scene and leave him high and dry in front of the entire bar. However, as his blue eyes burned holes into me, that plan slowly seeped away into oblivion. I hated myself in that instance; hated how attracted I was to him, hated how I wanted nothing more than to jump on his lap and let him take me right then and there. But perhaps what I hated most was how I was silently hoping he would open his mouth and ask me to join him on the stage. No hand gestures, no perky eyebrows, just him _asking_ if I would join him on stage.

But he didn't. And he wasn't going to.

"Did you come here to simply stare at me or is there something I can do for you?" his eyes sparkled in suggestion; that did not help my anger.

I nearly snarled but I found myself walking up the stage regardless. "I have a bone to pick with you." I muttered venomously. His eyebrows perked up but he simply leaned further back into his chair and folded his arms out onto his lap. He didn't say anything, simply sat back and waited for me to tell him what I was so raged over. That or he simply didn't care. I rolled my eyes and finally went around climbing up the stairs which would lead me to him. "Do you mind explaining to me why you failed to ment-" he held his hand up and silenced me almost immediately.

"Before you proceed to inform me whatever it is you think I need to hear, might I suggest we take this to my office?" he looked at the crowd with a bored look etched on his handsome features. "I hardly think it would be appropriate to discuss personal matters for all to hear."

I furrowed my eyebrows. He seemed different, closed up. I was aware I knew very little about Eric Northman but I could tell, whether he liked to admit it or not, that he was different today. I nodded quietly and watched as he stood up to his full height. The girls that had been watching his every movement immediately perked up upon noticing his looming stature but their hopeful smiles quickly dwindled as his arm reached towards the back of my neck. His cold hand tucked itself underneath the scarf and grasped the back of my neck, gently pushing me in the direction of his office.

When he'd finally pushed open the door to his office, I have to say I was genuinely shocked. It wasn't a lavish red room with velvet couches or gaudy at all. In fact, it was quite simple. It was normal, a word I'd never in a million years thought I'd use to describe anything to do with Eric. "Have a seat." He told me, signalling to a chair in front of his desk.

"I'd rather stand." I told him honestly, swallowing back the nerves I had for being along with him. It wasn't even fear anymore, and that alone scared me. I was more afraid to be in a room with Eric because of how much my body craved for his touch rather than because he was a blood thirsty Vampire. I trusted his actions more than mine, sadly enough.

He cleared his throat in annoyance but nodded nonetheless, walking in front of me to take a seat at his desk. "What was it that you would like to discuss?"

I let out a shaky breath and focused on the task at hand; getting my point across. "I am going to kill you." I began with an angry frown. "I am going to slowly stab myself numerous times so you feel each one and then proceed to get my ass over here and kill you."

He looked genuinely curious but didn't so much as flinch. "Threatening a Vampire," he mused. "Not the smartest thing to do in a bar full of them is it?" he cocked his head up to look at me.

I glared. "I suppose you think you're pretty smooth. Biting me like I didn't have a choice—"

"You _didn't_ have a choice," he reminded me. "You may be something more than just human, but I am still more powerful than you. Plus, if you've forgotten, I did save your life; quid pro quo."

My blood was boiling and judging by the tiny smirk on his lips, he knew what he was going. "Don't even get me started on you _saving_ my life, Eric! Did you think I wasn't going to realize it?"

A loud sigh escaped his lips as he continued to look at me with a look that couldn't have looked more jaded. "'I suppose Miss Stackhouse opened her mouth and told you what I thought was already quite clear to begin with." He unfolded his arms and stood up from his seat. I watched as he slowly walked towards me and leaned back so he rested against his desk.

"About how by drinking your blood I'm suddenly very…_bothered_ by you? Yeah. She let that little, but I would say vital, piece of info slip."

He smirked. "_Bothered_?" he questioned. "I don't think that's it." He reached forward and tugged at the scarf to loosen it. Then, he slowly pulled my scarf away, his eyes not falling from my own for even a second. "Covering up the gift I left you, hmm?" he finally pulled the heavy material away from my body, his eyes falling down to the bite marks instantly. "Pity."

I went to grab the scarf back but he was too fast, it was halfway across the room before I even reached for his hand. But, because of how fast I'd reached for it, I fell against his chest like a clumsy fool. I furiously moved back but his hands gripped the tops of my arms and kept me stationary. My legs felt like jelly in his arms and I was sure my breathing had hitched in my throat one too many times for it to be considered regular. My body ached for his hands to imitate some of the various things it had done in my dream and my face burned at the mere idea of it. It was as if my body knew how capable he was without him having to actually do a single thing to me. We hadn't even shared a legitimate kiss and yet my body reacted more to his sexy glances more than it had to any previous lover I'd ever had. _It's his blood_, my head kept repeating. _It's his blood that is making you want him so bad_. But even hearing that, I couldn't find it in me to pull away just yet.

"You're very stubborn." He advised me, his head bent down low.

"No, I'm not."

His eyebrow perked up knowingly at my argument. "You forget I can feel you." He told me. "Your body is screaming at you to do something, but your head is too loud." He smirked. "It really is such a pity that you can't be glamoured. If your head wasn't in my way—"

"Well, it is." I reminded him, finally finding it in myself to push away from his strong body. "And it's not going anywhere, so you can get the idea of glamouring me out of your head."

His jaw clenched just slightly. "You're very lucky, Katerina," he said. "You try on my patience time and time again and yet here you stand."

"And why is that?" I pondered aloud, genuinely interested. "You can't glamour me. I'm not having sex with you, and I'm a bitch to you most of the time." I crossed my arms over my chest. "You can get blood from any other source in the entire world so that can't be it, either." I shrugged and looked at him. "So why am I here?"

He looked up at me but didn't say anything right off the bat. I only wished I had Sookie's ability right than and there to see into his head, to see his ulterior motives, but alas I couldn't. Finally, he stood up a little taller and slid his hands into his pockets. "I'm quite interested to know that, myself." He said and for a brief second he looked genuinely unable to act.

The music outside of his office stopped playing as if on cue and I blinked in confusion. "Why did it stop?"

He looked at the clock on the wall. "I've arranged for Fangtasia to close early due to a business meeting I have with some clients."

"Sookie and Bill are clients all of the sudden?" I asked dead-pan. "Are you planning on expanding Fangtasia into Merlotte's?" I joked morbidly.

His nostrils flared for just a moment. "Miss Stackhouse really does have quite a difficult time keeping her mouth shut, doesn't she?"

I scoffed and pointed to the bite mark on the side of my neck. "Seems she isn't the only one."

His eyes darkened and before I knew it he'd switched our positions so I was now sitting on top of his desk and he was pressing against me, leaning in between my open legs. "Teasing a Vampire isn't the smartest thing one can do, either, Miss Prekovich." He warned, his fangs out for the world to see.

I swallowed hard and tried to focus on the two brutal weapons staring me right in the face rather than the fact he was standing in between my legs. I breathed out as evenly as possible and tried not to show an ounce of fear as he stared at me with both lust and anger quite clear in his blue pools. My chest was nearly heaving from the excitement that was bubbling between my thighs, my entire body tingled and screamed to be touched by him. His large arms were gripping onto my elbows to hold me in place but we both knew I didn't need much restraint. _It's the blood!_ But the tiny voice in the back of my head was becoming quieter and quieter up until it sounded like nothing more than an annoying buzz. "This is just your blood making me feel like this." I told him, but it came out barely above a whisper. "Nothing more."

He kept my stare. "We both know that's a lie." He said, dangerously close to my lips.

I shook my head weakly. "It's not." I mumbled. "It's just the blood."

He growled and I felt his hands drop from my elbows down to my hips. He pushed me into him with quite an amount of vigour, forcing both of us closer to one another. My legs were nearly wrapped around his waist and I could feel his erection poking the inside of my thighs; I just hoped he couldn't feel the effects our current position was having on me. "You're too stubborn."

I swallowed and moved my face just an inch closer into his. "So are you." I whispered.

Before I could even comprehend what had happened, I felt his strong hands cup my face and in an extremely heated moment our lips collided. My fingers raked through his hair as our kiss grew all the more heated. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip only before his invaded my mouth. I arched my back as his left hand trailed down my neck and collarbone, tickling the skin on contact. I dropped my hands to his toned shoulders, brushing them along his collarbones before holding onto the back of his neck. His tongue was cold to the point it almost burned but it felt illusory, it felt amazing. I tasted blood and immediately knew it wasn't my own. It wasn't coppery or metallic tasting like regular blood, it was velvet. I pulled away from the kiss as did he, but the darkness behind his eyes made it very clear that he hadn't wanted to finish that soon.

But, neither did I.

Slowly, I leaned back into him and ran my tongue along his bottom lip where a bit of blood had leaked out. The animalistic noise that came from his throat was enough to send me on edge. "What did I say about teasing a Vampire?" he asked, moving his lips down to my neck. I tensed immediately, not exactly wanting to be bitten again.

"No, wait," I muttered, trying to push him away. He ignored my protests though, and continued on suckling at my neck, licking over the bite he'd already given me just last night. "Stop." I tried again, but there was no stopping him. My heart began to beat erratically as fear once again kicked in. I hated to admit that the fear and panic I was feeling was still being trumped by the pleasure coursing through my body. "I don't want another mark on my neck!"

He pulled away at this and scowled. "Fine." He said. Before I could stop him, he'd pulled my shirt down so a little bit of cleavage could be seen before he lowered his head and sunk his fangs into the flesh of my breast. I hissed, but whether it was from the shock of it or the pleasure eluded even me. I pulled his head closer to my chest and bit back a moan, biting my lip painfully. His tongue swirled around the blood that began to pool and the sensuality of it was making me shake. I was on fire and he knew it.

"Well, look what we have here."

Eric hesitated in pulling his head away from me, but I'd pushed him away as soon as a third voice entered into the equation. I looked up only to notice Pam was smirking at the two of us. She wore a satisfactory smirk on her face as I pulled up my top, covering myself up once again. My face was burning as she continued to just look me over, her eyes falling from the bite on my neck down to my chest and then back up to my burning face. "Don't stop on my account; I wasn't complaining."

"What is it, Pam?" Eric asked, finally turning around the door.

Her smile dropped immediately. "Your _associates_ are here."

Eric sighed but nodded his head nonetheless. "She knows that it's Bill Compton and Miss Stackhouse." He explained. "Tell them I'll be there in a few moments."

Pam's eyebrow perked up. "If you plan on finishing up, I'll watch. Sookie and—"

"Pam." He warned, turning back around to face my direction yet again.

Pam rolled her eyes and turned around. "Egoistisk." _Selfish_. She muttered under her breath.

Eric simply shook his head before looking back at me. I couldn't read his face whatsoever and it made me nervous as all hell. It was strange, though. For as awkward as the situation should have been, I didn't feel uncomfortable under his stare whatsoever. Not right then, at least. "You should probably go and see Bill and Sookie." I told him, hopping off of his desk. "I'll head home."

His eyebrows knitted together. "You have somewhere to be?" he asked me.

"No."

"Then?" he slid his hands inside of his pockets. "Stay in my office."

I chuckled. "I'm not going to stay in your office while you go out and talk to Bill and Sookie. And seeing as how you lied and said they were originally business associates, I'm assuming whatever it is you have to talk to them about isn't just a little thing." He remained silent as I explained my actions. "So, because I'm too restless to sit in an office for a few hours, I'm going home."

I walked around to grab my scarf but hesitated. "You can keep the scarf." I told him with a small smirk, walking past him to head out the back door. I texted Sookie telling her I would see her tomorrow at work, explaining to her I had a headache. Which wasn't exactly a lie; my head had been spinning since I'd stepped foot in Fangtasia. She didn't have to know it was because I felt a little too hot and bothered because of Eric. I quickly made my way to my car and just sat in silence for the longest time.

I didn't even want to think about the dreams that would plague me tonight.

* * *

**A/N. So now things are getting done! I hope you guys like it and thank you once again to everyone reviewing/alerting and all that beautiful stuff! You guys are awesome. ;) x**


	9. Infuriating

It didn't rain often in Bon Temps, but when it did it was beautiful. It was particularly beautiful at night when the lightning and the purple night's sky clashed together and created something that should have been in National Geographic. I first fell in love with the thunderstorms in Louisiana when my family first moved here from Stockholm when I was only ten. Storms in Sweden were gorgeous, but I really grew to appreciate the storms in Louisiana.

So, with a cup of tea I went out to my porch and sat on the bench-swing with a pleasant smile on my face. It may have been raining buckets just ten feet away from me, but I was sheltered and it was wonderful. It had almost become a tradition for me to sit on this exact porch and just watch the rain and the lightning. Mind you, my beverage choice may have gotten a little more refined since the days of apple juice and OJ, but it still felt the same every time. Things changed, but the storms rarely did.

A content sigh escaped my lips as I tied my long dark brown hair back into a loose ponytail. I took in the smell of the rain and relaxed back into the swing, sipping at the tea in relaxation. Things may have been a bit of a mess for the last month or so, but I refused to let my mind wander. Right now, all I wanted to think about was…well, nothing. As far as I was concerned, I was a blank slate; Tabula Rasa. Right now, I was golden.

My phone buzzed from beside me, snapping me out of my quiet state right away.

_(1) Unread Text Message_

_Lafayette._

I grabbed the Blackberry and opened up the missed message only before a small smile broke out across my lips.

_Bitch, I will kill u about Northman, still. But I owe u and Sook a draaaank for breaking me out. Sorry bout earlier and if you see that blonde bitch of yours tell him the car is sexy but it aint change a thing._

_Car?_ I thought, baffled. I'd gone over to Lafayette's house upon hearing through the grapevine that he'd finally come home and needless to say it was a rocky visit. I'd tried to cover up the bite marks but I felt too guilty knowing that he would find out about Eric and I sooner or later and ended up telling him the whole story. He freaked out on me and we eventually got into a huge fight about how stupid_ I_ was for supposedly having sex with Eric and how stupid _he_ was for selling V in the first place. I ended up leaving not long after that just because I was afraid I'd say something I'd regret out of pure anger. I was just thankful he apologized; I couldn't afford to lose yet another person.

_Car? But yeah, you deffs owe me and Sookie a drink, but don't sweat it. I'm sorry, too. Love ya big boy. _

I typed back before getting up to toss the phone inside the house; I didn't want another mobile-related disturbance. When I came back outside I was just glad to have the rain distracting me from thinking any further about Lafayette. Call me a bitch, but I just wanted a day off from all of the crazy that seemed to be going on all around Bon Temps lately. I just wanted to drink my tea and relax.

But apparently someone else had a different plan. I picked my head up from the back of the bench upon hearing an engine revving at the bottom of my driveway. I blinked in confusion but didn't bother getting up from my current position. I knew _very_ little about cars but from what I could tell it probably cost more than my entire house; it was red, too– but that's all I gathered from it.

I threw my legs up on the bench swing and folded them underneath me Indian-style as I waited to see who would pop out of the expensive car. But the familiar tingling sensation in the back of my mind was going off the radar and I immediately knew who it was. Eric.

I sipped at my hot beverage as his tall frame finally came out of the red car. Within seconds of him shutting the door, he was already on my porch. The little droplets of water that had actually managed to fall onto his leather jacket slowly rolled off of the sleek material as he stood there stoically. He was in all black this evening, and my God did he look. "Lafayette sends his regards," were the first words out of my mouth as I tore my eyes away from him to stare out at the rain. "For the car you supposedly gave him."

He continued to stand there which only made me turn my head to face him enquiringly. He looked blank but not impossibly hard to read. Just like last night I could tell there was something on his mind. "You haven't talked to Miss Stackhouse this evening, I presume."

I sat up a little straighter in concern. "No, I didn't. Why? Did something happen? Is she okay?" I put the cup down on the bench and waited for his reply.

"You human's always assume the worst." He cogitated. "She's fine." I breathed out gratefully and sunk back down on the bench. "But Bill and his human will be coming with me to Dallas tomorrow evening."

"Dallas?" I pushed the hair that had fallen out of my ponytail back away from my face. "Why? What's in Dallas?"

He walked over to me and sat on the bench beside me. "Haven't you heard?" he asked, watching as I turned to face him in utter curiosity. "Everything's bigger in Texas." It was a joke but neither of us cracked even so much as a smile. The way he said it sounded almost bitter, dry.

I simply rolled my eyes and looked away from him. "You're dry enough as it is, you don't need to turn everything into a joke." I picked up the cup of tea and took a rather large sip of it, suddenly wishing I'd snuck some bourbon into it. A harsh wind blew between us and whistled in between the cracks of the porch. Nothing was said, but he knew I was waiting for a legitimate answer. Mind you, I didn't exactly expect to receive one, but a girl could try.

"A…_friend_ of mine has gone missing in Dallas." He finally spoke. I slowly looked at him only to see he was staring off into the puddles forming outside. "I'm bringing Miss Stackhouse along because of her telepathy. I'm hoping she can hear enough thoughts that will help me to find him."

_Him_. I was willing to bet money it was the boy whose face had been haunting me since I'd first had these precognitive dreams . "The boy?" I asked hesitantly, staring holes into the side of Eric's face.

Eric kept his gaze straight ahead. "Yes," he said. Slowly, he turned to face me and I couldn't help but notice the far off look behind his azure stare. "Godric."

I nodded and repeated the name in my head. _Godric_; the name suited the boy somehow. I could see his face all over again. His eyes, his lips, and his nose, all of him – it was so very strange having heard his name. I almost felt like I knew him somehow. "If I ask you something, can you promise me you won't do anything stupid?" he looked across at me dangerously and raised his eyebrow. "I mean, like, you can't suddenly choke me or run away. If you don't want to answer me, don't answer me. But you can't attack me or run, deal?" To be honest, I was half expecting for him to do something to me right then and there. Just reach forward and snap my neck, or something. He didn't seem like a very negotiable Vampire and that alone made me squirm. But he didn't reach forward and kill me; he didn't say a single word, either. He said nothing and didn't argue; that was as close as I was going to get to some form of agreement. "Is Godric the Vampire who turned you?"

He turned to face me and from the look in his eyes I already had my answer. I was no expert on Vampire's but the devotion he had to this Godric was quite clear for anyone to see. His whole demeanour changed when his name was brought up; he cared deeply for him in a way that I'd only ever experienced with my parents. It was always the ones who gave you life that struck a chord inside of you no one else could.

He swallowed and I watched his adam's apple bounce up and down before he finally spoke. "Godric is my maker, yes."

All I could do was nod. I had nothing else to say on the matter, and I certainly didn't want to jeopardize my own safety because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. So instead of saying another word, I turned back around to face the puddles of rain and brought my legs up to my chest. The swing rocked just slightly because of my sudden movements, but neither of us moved to stop it. He simply sat there with his legs firmly planted on the porch, and I, cradling my legs into my chest. "I'll call you or Sookie if I have any dreams about him or anything." I promised, dropping my gaze to the crackling paint of the porch.

"Why not just go to Dallas with us?" he asked me, gaining my full attention instantly. I furrowed my brows and looked across at him only to see he was staring me right in the face. "I can arrange for a room for the two of us and if there are any dreams to be shared, you can tell me first hand." His eyes wandered down to the obvious bite marks I had on my breast and he glowered darkly. "I can think of many reasons why having you around in Dallas could be very _advantageous_ for the both of us."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I told you, that was the blood making us do that." I argued.

"And I told you that ignoring what your body is screaming for you to do will only complicate things." He reminded me. "Fighting temptation is useless."

I dared myself to look him in the eye and immediately regretted my decision. His eyes were burning holes into mine, audaciously urging me to give into what he knew my body was telling me. I swallowed back the tension and hesitantly broke our stare. "I can't just leave Sam with one waitress; that's not fair to him or Arlene."

I heard his angry sigh. "Who cares?"

"I do," I told him assuredly, but I still didn't dare look him in the eye. "And so will half of Bon Temps if they have to wait an hour to get their meal."

"The citizens of Bon Temps aren't your problem." He hissed angrily. I fought back the urge to slap him; I swear it was one step forward two steps back with this man.

I turned to face him and cocked my head to the side. "Oh, and you are?" I asked boldly. "I don't know when I'm going to have these dreams. It's not as if I look at somebody or touch something and suddenly fall into a bout of coma where I dream up their future, Eric. I fall asleep and sometimes I dream of things that could potentially happen. It's only happened once in the course of five weeks. Who is to say it's even going to happen if I go to Dallas with you guys?"

Eric clenched his jaw and I knew I'd won. He may have had one thousand and some odd years on me but I could argue until I was blue in the face, especially when I knew I was right. "Now, seeing as how my tea is cold as hell, is there anything else I can fight you on or do I have your permission to make a fresh batch?" I mocked, standing up to my full height to look down at him.

He irritably stood up and loomed over my tall frame. "You anger me, Katerina." He warned me, walking me into the railing of my porch. He boxed me into the wet wood as rain rolled off from the roof and onto my hair. "I don't like to be irritated, I'm sure you know that by now."

"And I don't like being talked down to constantly." I fought back, feeling braver than usual. Perhaps it was the look on his face when _I _was the one walking away from him last night – whatever it was made me feel bold. "I'm not going to Dallas with you tomorrow night. You can threaten me all you want; it's not going to get you anywhere."

He cocked his head to the side and snarled, I could see his fangs poking out from behind his lip and somehow it only made me stand up a little taller. I had an assurance deep down inside of me that he wasn't going to kill me. The deadly weapons he hoped to intimidate me with only made me squirm from the anticipation of the pleasure they promised. "You're infuriating." He seethed, pressing my back into the railing hard enough that I was sure there would be bruises in the morning.

"Why?" I asked, glaring up at him. "Because I'm the first female, besides Sookie, to have a backbone with you?" I pressed my breasts further into his buff chest and cocked my head to the side knowingly. "Or is it because I'm not giving you what you want?"

He growled and instantly crashed his lips onto mine. My hands flew to his hair as I raked my fingers through the blonde mess. In an instant he'd pushed my legs up so they wrapped around his slender hips and quickly lifted me up into him. "Not fighting too hard right now, are you?" he asked as he pushed open my door.

I ignored him and simply tugged at his hair anxiously as he set me down on the table. "Ew; not where I eat." I muttered, looking down at the tiny dining table.

I heard him snarl and in a flash he'd lifted me back up into his arms to begrudgingly bring me up to my bedroom. He took the stairs two at a time and before I knew it he'd thrown me against the bed. I bounced a couple of times from the velocity of his throw but smirked to myself upon seeing him throw his leather jacket aside to begin crawling on top of me. I bit his bottom lip and heard him groan into my lips. His hands grasped the hem of the thin grey t-shirt I had on and in a flash he'd lifted above my head and threw it across the room. I shivered as the coolness of his body collided against the warmth of my own but grabbed onto his own black shirt nonetheless. He broke away from our kiss and allowed me to yank off the black material with ease. My mind buzzed as I saw what had been hiding away this entire time. The man was glorious. He was pale but the defined muscles trailing down his pecks and abdomen made my mouth fall open and my legs shake. I bit back any sort of stupid remark and immediately brought him into my lips once again. I had been denying my body for much too long now and I'd be damned if I went another sleepless night because of Eric's hold on me. I needed him, I wanted him and if I was _his_ then I was sure as hell going to take advantage of that.

My hands slithered down his toned abdomen only before I began working on the belt of his pants. Within seconds I'd managed to pull the belt away and undo his them. I could feel him bulging against the fabric and it was driving me crazy. He quickly broke our kiss and pushed his black pants down his legs; in the time it took him to do that, I couldn't help but let my eyes take in the large bulge accentuating from his black briefs. I shivered as he slowly crawled back in between my legs. He just looked down at me and smirked, reaching forward to gently pull down the material of my bra. I shivered and watched as he gingerly brought his lips down to my breast. His tongue flicked against my awaiting nipple and I couldn't help but arch my back into his mouth. I bit back a moan and scraped my fingers through his blonde hair just as his hands slithered down my waist to begin working on the buttons of my shorts.

"Eric," I moaned out, throwing my head back on the pillow as his tongue worked wonders on my breast. My thighs were getting increasingly warmer and I knew he could feel it. He swiftly hoisted me up and pulled my shorts down my long legs before reaching up to finally unclasp my bra.

The muscle in his jaw clenched as he looked over my body that was now almost completely exposed. "You should go around like this more often," he said, bending down to place some kisses along my abdomen. I writhed beneath him and watched as he worked his way down to my thighs. He smirked and let his eyes fall shut as he took me in, breathing in the scent of my arousal. Finally, he looked back up at me and kissed his way back up my abdomen, stopping at my breasts. His cool mouth enclosed around my left nipple and I swear my body could take no more. I reached forward and felt the bulge poking out from beneath his briefs. Slowly, I slipped my hand beneath the waistband and let my hand close around his large member. I heard him curse against my nipple which only made me smirk and slowly begin to stroke him a little harder.

He growled quite loudly and lifted his head up from my breast, his fangs blaringly obvious as he looked up at me. "Infuriating _and_ a tease," he muttered. Before I could even blink, he'd grabbed my wrists and pushed them above my head. He managed to hold me down with his left hand as his right slowly trailed down my stomach. His eyes were dark and looked perilously striking as his hand finally slipped down below the waistband of my panties. His smirk was bigger than ever upon feeling just how wet he'd made me.

"Oh God," I muttered as his slender finger began to rub my swollen nub. I threw my head back onto the pillow and was sure I was going to combust from the heat that was spreading like wildfire inside of me. He'd finally let my hands loose and I couldn't help but reach up and grasp onto his shoulders, squeezing my eyes shut in pure ecstasy. I felt his skin stretch as my nails dug into the flesh of his back but I didn't care. He'd heal in a matter of seconds anyways. My breathing was shallow and my chest heaved up and down as his finger slid into me, pumping into my core expertly. "Eric!" I moaned out yet again, sliding my hands all over his back. The second I threw my head back I felt his sharp fangs sink into my neck. I couldn't even begin to describe the feeling that I had in that moment of pure elation. My body tingled and burned and my head couldn't stop spinning. The room shook, my _world_ shook. I was caught in an inferno and there was no getting out.

He continued to drink from me and had even added another finger into the mix. I writhed and shook beneath him, squirming in a way that no other man had ever managed to make me do. I arched into him and within seconds fell into the shakes as my climax pulled me into a world I'd never seen before. Fireworks were going off behind my eyes from the intensity of it all and it was as if every molecule in the room had sparked. I could feel everything, do anything. I knew it was his blood making me feel like this, but it really was as if a whole new world had opened up to me; a world of pure ecstasy.

My mind buzzed as he rolled off of me. "What are you doing?" I found myself asking, slowly coming down from my high.

He slurped up the blood around my neck and smirked into me. "That was just a taste, Katerina." I blinked and slowly looked at him. "Perhaps you will come to regret your decision in not coming to Dallas, hmm?" he finished licking up the access blood and finally laid back down on the bed beside me.

I blinked again and tried to keep my heavy eyelids open, but found it near impossible. "_You're_ infuriating." I mumbled, barely audibly. I felt him chuckle as he pulled my duvet up our near-naked bodies. "I'll call if I dream up anything." I promised, opening my eyes up just big enough to look over at him. "I hope you find Godric, Eric." I muttered, finally letting my eyes shut in exhaustion – he must have taken a lot more blood this time around. I felt him stiffen beside me, but I was too close to blacking out to even realize my brazen words. "Don't do anything stupid, though." And with those last words, I fell into the oblivion that had been calling my name.

**A/N. Believe me, it is definitely not going to be all peaches after this. These next few chapters are pretty intense (or so I hope) and I'm excited for you guys to read them! Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter and thank you to each one of you who reviews, alerts, or even just read this story, it means a lot! x**


	10. A Phone Call

_My skin felt like it was blistering from the heat of the sun shining down on my exposed skin. "Goddamn, it's hot." I mutter to myself as I pull down my sunglasses. I look down at my cell phone and begin to text someone. 'I'm here, where are you?' it says. I check the time on my phone and curse under my breath. It's way too hot to be waiting in the middle of nowhere. I feel the beginning of a migraine slowly start hammering at my temples from the heat of the dry air around me. _

_Finally I see a car in the distance. It's driving fast and it's kicking up dust all around it as it speeds towards me. I raise my hand up to shield the sun from my face and squint in hopes I can see the driver better but with no avail, I lower it and take a deep breath. That's when I feel two large hands wrap around my neck. I try and scream but it's near impossible. He lifts me up in the air as I struggle against him and I begin to panic. I can't seem to get enough oxygen and as the beige car finally pulls up in front of us, two other men come out. "Grab her legs will ya?" the man holding my neck offers as I try yet again to kick his knee in. _

_In a matter of seconds I feel one of the man grab my legs and wrap rope around my ankles as the other grabbed onto my waist to hold me in place. The man holding my neck releases it for just a second and I manage out a blood curdling scream. But nobody comes. _

_I flail my arms towards the man behind him and manage to hit him square in the nose. He swears and releases me but I can't go anywhere because of the rope around my ankles. "Help!" I try again, but it was too late. The taller man with dark hair grabs a large stick and hits me over the head. _

"No!" I screamed, jerking awake. My eyes adjusted to the familiar settings of my bedroom within a few seconds but panic sunk in as I noticed the bits of sunlight that streamed in through the cracks of my blinds. I snapped my head around to the left side of my bed only to notice the spot that Eric had been laying in just hours ago was now completely empty. Relief set in first, but then it was disappointment. I knew in my head that he wouldn't be there once I woke up, but at the same time a very small part of me hoped he would be. With a small frown, I sat there in silence for a few minutes before finally kicking the covers off of my body.

I felt a bit woozy as I turned on the taps of the shower and I was sure it was because of how much blood Eric had drained from me last night. I was more than certain after the amount he'd taken from me that I should have had a few drops of his to make up for it, but I hadn't – and now I was definitely facing the consequences. After a quick wash I stepped out of the steamy shower and back into the real world. My head still spun and I felt weak as all hell, but I had a job to get to and I couldn't be late…_again. _

I threw on a pair of short black shorts and my usual Merlotte's shirt before blow drying my hair so it fell into long loose waves. I reached forward to begin applying eyeliner but was interrupted by my phone going off beside me. Before even thinking to check the caller ID I pressed _talk_ and lazily held it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked into the mouthpiece. At first no one answered, but I could hear the obvious sound of breathing on the other line. I furrowed my eyebrow and pressed my ear further into the phone. "Hello?" I tried again in confusion.

"Aunt Kat?" a little voice replied from the other line; Darry.

I sat up a little straighter. "Darrell? Is that you?" I heard his quiet little laughter echo through the line and I immediately felt my stomach drop. I missed the twins so much. "Darry, does your daddy know you're calling me?"

I heard the line go fuzzy for just a moment before a man came on and cleared his throat. "Katerina, its Ian." I felt my blood boil as I held the phone to my ear, but didn't say a word. I had to bite my tongue if I had any chance in hell in seeing the twins again, even if it did mean he'd get away with what he said that night. "Are you there?"

"Yeah," I finally pushed out, quietly clearing my throat as I tried to concentrate. "Sorry, I was…" I trailed off and began toying with the eyeliner on the vanity. "I guess you just caught me off guard."

He didn't say anything and for a moment I thought he'd hung up. It wasn't until I heard a loud sigh escape his lips that I even knew he was still connected. "Listen, Kat, I'm sorry about the way I acted." His voice sounded so stiff and forged but if I knew Ian he hated admitting defeat. "I should have at least given you the chance to say goodbye to my kids."

_His _kids. I caught on to the immediate change in his voice but chose not to say anything. They weren't just _his_ kids, they were my sisters' kids, they were _my_ niece and nephew; they were _my_ family, too. "It's understandable." I muttered. "But you can't look at every Vampire and immediately assume they're going to—"

"Katerina, I didn't call to hear you preach." He interjected angrily.

I clenched my jaw and angrily cracked the knuckle of my thumb. "Then what _did_ you call for?" I asked in annoyance. I knew I shouldn't have been giving him a reason to hang up on me but I was tired of being told what to do. I'd been hearing constantly from the citizens of Bon Temps, from my coworkers, from Sookie, from Eric – I was a capable twenty-one year old woman for God's sake, I didn't need to be bossed around.

He sighed for the second time. "I was wondering if you could come down for a day or so and see the kids. They keep asking for you and Darry won't even look at Liz because he's mad at her." I smiled triumphantly at this as I popped off the cap of my eyeliner. "If you can't its understandable, I mean, its last minute but I think it would be good for the kids."

"When?" I asked, putting him on speakerphone so I could apply my make-up properly. "I mean, I'd love to, but when?"

"I was thinking you could come down to Dallas either tonight or tomorrow and—"

"Dallas?" I asked in confusion, halting the placement of the charcoal-coloured eyeliner instantly. "Why are you guys in Texas?"

I could hear his hesitation in answering. "The church group that Liz and I are apart of are doing a retreat type of thing. We've moved down here temporarily until it's finished."

All I could do was stare down at the phone in shock. "And you weren't planning on telling me you guys just upped and left for Dallas practically overnight?"

"Listen, Katerina, you don't have to come down to Dallas. I was simply calling to ask if you wanted to see the twins because I know you miss them and they miss you." I really didn't like the tone he was using on me. He was talking down to me as if he were eons older than I was. "The ball is in your court."

I put the make-up down on my vanity and ran my fingers through my hair; I was way too woozy to think about this right now. "Uh, yeah, that should be fine." I muttered, burying my face in my palms as I stared down at the table. "I won't be able to stay long, though. Maybe just the night because of work and everything."

"One night is all you need, don't worry about that."

I nodded despite the fact he couldn't see me whatsoever. "Okay, sure. That sounds good. I'll tell Sam tonight and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Where should I meet you?"

"Do you have a pen handy?" he asked me.

I looked down at the eyeliner I had been holding and grabbed a small piece of paper. "Go for it."

"Okay, once you get off route seventy-five you're going to take Old County Road southbound for about an hour." I scribbled the information down quickly and subtly checked the time on the wall; I was definitely going to be late if I didn't move my ass. "You're going to see a sign for Smithland's Gravel Pit on your left, keep going straight for about two clicks and I'll be waiting for you there."

I blinked in confusion. "Where?"

"At the old Gravel Pit." I stirred uncomfortably as images of Leather Face attacking me hammered through my head; I definitely watched too many scary movies.

"Why am I meeting you at a Gravel Pit?" I asked him.

He chuckled quietly. "Because we had to rent a place on such short notice we're staying in a cabin that might as well be in the middle of a swamp. You wouldn't be able to find it if your life depended on it."

I nodded and looked over the directions carefully. "Okay. Should I call you when I'm close or…?"

"Sure, that'd be good." He said. "Maybe aim to be there before sundown because it's a damn pain driving on the roads to the cabin at night."

I laughed quietly and once again nodded my head. "Sure. I'll leave maybe around five or six in the morning so I should be there by three in the afternoon, maybe two if traffic is good."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, Kat."

I smiled and felt a burst of elation swell inside of me. "See you, Ian." I muttered before I hung up the phone. My smile couldn't have been any bigger by the time hurriedly put on all my make-up and grabbed my apron. Sure, I was still dizzy and felt a bit lightheaded but I was seeing Darry and Mary tomorrow. Hell, if I got to Dallas early enough I might even be able to grab a coffee with Sookie!

Needless to say as I hopped in my rental car, I was on cloud nine.

* * *

"Sam, how much do you love me?" I asked with an innocent smile. I'd been on shift for nearly three hours now and every time I tried to bring it up to him I chickened out. I was on the schedule to open with he, Tara and Lafayette tomorrow morning and I knew for a fact he'd kick my ass if I bailed out now.

He looked up from scrubbing a glass and eyed me carefully. "When a woman starts off a sentence like that, it never ends well." He joked with a tiny smile. "What is it?"

I pushed out an awkward grin at how true his statement was. "It's nothing big, I'm just curious is all."

One of his eyebrows perked up as he leaned against his bar. "Katerina, what do you want?" _Damn, he was good._

I put the tray I was holding down on the bar and smiled sheepishly. "Can I talk to you for a second in the office?" I practically begged.

He must have sensed my desperation because he slowly breathed out and nodded his head. "Tara, watch the bar." He tapped her leg and woke her from the book she'd been reading. "I gotta head in the office for a second, watch the customers."

"Aw, hell no." She swung her legs off of her chair and frowned. "This better be good, Kat, or I will kill you."

I laughed and laid my hand on her bare shoulder. "God forbid you gotta put your book down at work, huh?" I joked, narrowly dodging her gentle slap. "Such hostility!" I called over my shoulder as Sam nudged me to the back.

We walked into his office and I watched as he shut the door behind him. "What's going on?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his stomach, leaning against his desk. "Is everything okay?"

I smiled and looked down at the carpet. He could try and act like a high and mighty boss all he wanted but when it came down to it, Sam was never a boss first. He was our friend first and foremost and we all knew it whether he wanted us to or not. "You're going to kill me for asking this, but would it be okay if I took tomorrow morning off?" I watched as his eyes widened in shock and mentally winced. "I know it's short notice and I know I'm not leaving you with a lot of options, but it's really important."

"What could possibly be so important?" he threw his arms up in question. "If this has something to do with a Vampire, I swear to God I will—"

"Sam," I cut him off sternly. "It has nothing to do with a Vampire." I sighed and I knew he was looking at the bite marks I had on my neck. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm still the same Katerina I was just a few months ago. I do have other things going on in my life besides a tall, blonde Vampire and a few bite marks." I looked up at him and clenched my jaw. "It's about the twins."

His eyebrows shot together and any bit of annoyance he had quickly washed away. "Are they okay?"

I pushed a few pieces of hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail behind my ear and shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. Ian and I got into a huge fight a few weeks ago and he just took them away from me."

"What was the fight about?"

I sighed and let my shoulders slump forward. "It was about said tall, blonde Vampire." I grumbled. "He saw Eric and flipped; started screaming and everything and then he just took Darry and Marry away." I quietly scuffled my feet. "I know what everyone is saying about me, and they can continue saying whatever they want. I'm not doing anything wrong." Sam was quiet but I could tell the little hamster wheel in his head was spinning. "Anyway, Ian called me this morning and asked if I could go up there to see the kids."

"He just called you up and asked you if you wanted to see the kids?" he asked sceptically. "Isn't that a little fishy?"

My jaw dropped. "Sam, I'm not lying!"

A look of pure confusion passed over his face. "What?" he shook his head and blinked a few times. "No, Kat, I meant on his behalf. That's kind of strange that he'd flip his lid one minute and call you up the next, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "I never really thought about it, I guess." I rubbed the back of my neck and quietly sighed to myself. "Listen, Sam, if I can't then it's fine. But I really do want to see these kids, and you know just as well as I do I don't get to see them a lot. It'd only be for the night and I'd be back in Bon Temps bright and early the very next day, I promise!"

He looked me over and seemed to have a small debate in his head before finally shaking his head. "Shoot, you guys are going to be the death of me." I bit my lip trying to contain the smile I had forming along my lips. "Fine, you can go. But _only_ for the night, agreed?" he stuck his hand out but I pushed past it and lunged at him.

"Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!" I screamed out, hugging him tightly. "I swear, I'll bring you a keychain and everything. It'll be great. I'll even get the twins to draw you a picture or something – I don't know! But I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

He was smiling secretively by the time I pulled away from him. "Shut-up before I change my mind," he warned me playfully, tapping my back to get me out of his office. "You're going to be the one to tell Tara she's the one taking your shift, though."

My mouth fell open and I turned to glare at him all before Tara's gaping mouth caught my attention. "What in the hell?" she huffed. "No way in _hell_ am I shaking my ass out there and serving those idiots." I looked across at her with a hopeful smile on my face. "No way, nuh-uh, don't think that cutesy bitch look is going to work on me!"

"_Please_, Tara!" I grovelled. "I'll buy you the biggest, coldest beer in all of Louisiana if you do this for me!" I batted my eyelashes just for effect and watched as her scowl turned into an incredibly slow and somewhat hidden smile.

"It better be the most expensive, too." She sulked.

I grinned and brought her into a hug. "Oh, it will be! Biggest, most-expensive, coldest beer in the whole state!"

Sam laughed and hit us with the rag in his hand. "Celebrate after you take that table, huh?" he nodded his head in the direction of a group of women who had just walked into Merlotte's.

I nodded and winked at the two of them before walking towards my newest table. "And how might I help you lovely ladies, today?" I asked with a whole new bout of bliss.

* * *

**A/N. But will the bliss last? Hmm, questions, questions. I legit never know what to write on here I always feel like the biggest dork because I feel like I ramble, haha. **_**Anyways**_**, thanks to all of those reviewing and alerting and all of that good stuff, it means a lot! Godric will be in the next few chapters **_**quite**_** a lot and obviously Eric will as well, hope you guys like it! x**


	11. Dallas, Texas

The drive to Dallas was long and hot but I was making good time. Sure, I was a hot and sticky mess because about two-hundred miles back my AC decided to die on me, but at least I'd have time to hopefully meet Sookie for coffee before meeting Ian at the Gravel Pit.

I pulled a quick left into the nearest gas station and silently groaned as I stepped out into the hot sun. I was wearing a brown off the shoulder tee with a pair of jean shorts and even then it was too much fabric. My long legs were burning and the bit of shoulder that was exposed felt hot as ever. I was a hot mess to say the least. I pulled the pump out and stuck it into the tank with ease as I brought out my cell phone. I dialled Sookie's number quickly and squinted up at the sun that was shining much too brightly down on me. It rang a couple of times before finally going into her voicemail. "Hey, you've reached Sookie. Leave a message at the beep!"

_Beep_

"Hey Sook, its Kat. I'm in Dallas for the night because of the twins and I have about," I looked down at my wrist watch, "an hour and a half to kill before hand so if you get this message before then just call me up and we'll get a coffee." I looked at the gas meter only to realize I'd gone about seven dollars over the thirty I originally wanted to put it. "Shit!" I stopped pumping the gas and tore it out of my car. "Kay, I have to go." I hung up the phone and threw it in the car before walking into the gas station to pay the thirty-seven bucks I now owed.

Once I was back in the hot car I grabbed my phone and punched in Sam's familiar number. Lo and behold – voicemail. I furrowed my eyebrow and began pulling out of the gas station; was everyone taking a strike from using their phones? "Hey Sam, its Kat. Just calling to let you know I made it to Dallas safe and sound." I pulled onto the main road. "Anyway, I'll see ya tomorrow." And with that I hung up.

I continued to drive around mindlessly for a good forty minutes just waiting for somebody to call me back. With a deep, annoyed sigh I pulled over to the side of the road and dialled Eric's number. I was willing to bet he'd be sleeping but I was getting desperate for someone to acknowledge my existence. I nearly threw my Blackberry out of the window when it went straight to voicemail. I didn't bother leaving a message so instead I simply hung up and threw my head back in exasperation. I was beyond hot, I was bored and I was fresh out of water.

I knew if I went another minute by myself I'd go crazy so before I did, I dialled Ian's number and put the phone to my ear in desperation. If I didn't get an actual human being this time around I was going to scream. "Pick up, Ian." I grumbled out in annoyance. Thankfully by the fourth ring he'd picked up.

"How are you doing on time, Kat?" were the first words out of his mouth.

"Swell," I muttered, rubbing away the bit of moisture I had gathering on my forehead. "Can we just meet early?" I was miserable and cranky and it was definitely coming through in my speech.

"How early were you thinking?"

"I can be there in twenty minutes." I told him tiredly. "Please agree or I just might have to—"

"Twenty is good." He interjected. "I'll see you then, Kat."

"See you." I muttered before hanging up the phone. A gradual smile graced my lips as I pulled onto the road yet again.

It took me a little longer than expected to actually get down to the Gravel Pit and as I turned into the abandoned area, my stomach burned and twisted in fear. It really did look like something right out of a horror movie. There were piles of gravel everywhere and I seemed to be the only one around for miles. I parked and slowly made my way out of the car, taking in my surroundings uneasily. My head was already hurting from the amount of hours I'd spent driving but the hot sun above me only made it worse. It tore at my skin and burnt the freckles I had covering my shoulders even more so. "Goddamn, it's hot." I mumbled to myself before bringing my sunglasses back down to cover up my eyes.

I looked around me nervously to see if I could spot Ian's familiar face but I saw nothing but miles and miles of barren land and gravel. I reached for my cell but was interrupted by a loud _caw_ from a nearby crow perched on top of one of the taller piles of stone. I frowned awkwardly as I looked into its beady black eyes. _Because the landscape isn't creepy enough as it is…_I thought morbidly, tearing my eyes away from the bird.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and skimmed through my contacts until I saw Ian's name. I clicked on it and without hesitation began to text him. _I'm here, where –_

It was as if I'd been hit by a truck. My whole body felt wickedly stiff as I stopped mid-text. This, _all of this_, was in my dream. Panic began to set in as I peered around me hastily; I was abducted from this exact spot in my dream. Without so much as a second thought I went to run towards my car, but it was too late. I felt a strong arm wrap around my neck and yank me back into him. "No!" I screamed out, flailing uncontrollably in his arms. I could feel my heart hammering painfully against my ribs as I squirm against him. I see the car begin to speed towards us and it was as if my entire body tingled in fear. I dropped my hands from holding the arm around my neck and quickly cupped it back into the man's crotch. He screamed out in pain as I squeezed it with all my might, digging my nails into it mercilessly. The second his arm fell from around my neck, I took off running. I had no idea where I was running to but there was no way in hell I could reach the safety of my car without getting caught. I ducked in and out of the gravel pits in hopes I'd lose them. I could barely breathe from the speed I was running, but I couldn't stop, not now. I could hear the car close behind and I wasn't about to let it catch up to me.

Dust and debris kept flying into my mouth, making it extremely difficult to swallow back any breaths that I so desperately needed to. I dared to look behind me only to see that the car was quite a ways back, but I wasn't going to stop running until I was sure I was safe. I wasn't sure if I was running north or south, east or west, all I knew was I needed to get help. "Help!" I screamed out desperately, my throat burning from dust flying inside of it. "Somebody!"

I squinted my eyes upon seeing a familiar black SUV pull in a few yards away from me and I nearly cried out in joy; Ian. "Hey!" I screamed, running towards him. "Ian, help!"

He hopped out of the SUV instantly and looked confused. "Kat, what's wrong?" he asked as I reached him, holding onto my forearms.

I tried to talk but I couldn't seem to verbalize anything that sounded even remotely close to English. I was sobbing uncontrollably and I still couldn't get enough air into my lungs; my world was spinning again. "We have to go!" I finally rasped out, wheezing as my hands trembled. I was in the middle of a panic attack and me not being able to breathe wasn't helping one bit.

"Go?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?" He looked just past me and I could hear the revving of the engine – they were still coming.

I turned around and sobbed out a loud whimper. "No!" I screamed, grabbing onto his arm to pull him into his SUV. "Ian, _please_, we have to go!" I tried to pull him but he only staggered for a single step.

He just looked across at me and I watched as he sadly shook his head. "I can't let you go anywhere, Kat." He muttered before reaching for my arm. "God doesn't like sympathizers; we have to cleanse you."

"What?" I cried in confusion. "Cleanse me? What-what are you even talking about?" I tried to pull back but his firm grasp held me in place. "Ian!"

"I'm sorry, Kat." He looked down in shame and before I heard the car behind me come to an abrupt stop. I snapped my head around only to see the two men from my dream slowly come out of the car. One looked only a few years older than me and the other one couldn't be a day over eighteen. I was about to start running again when I suddenly felt something jab into the side of my neck. "We have to save you, Katerina," Ian whispered into my ear, holding the syringe strategically. It felt as if he was pushing concrete into my veins, I felt heavier than a boulder all of the sudden. My legs shook beneath me as I fell to the dusty ground below us. The last thing I remember feeling was the needle being taken out before I finally gave into the blackness.

* * *

I felt like I had rocks embedded into my every pore.

I was weak and the only thing I could do with my head was lull it side to side; I couldn't lift it for the life of me, it was just too heavy. My whole body hurt. My ribs ached, my throat burned and my wrists and ankles were raw from the rope wrapped around them. I sputtered as I slowly blinked my eyes open.

I didn't recognize my surroundings whatsoever. I was definitely in some sort of basement but that was all I gathered. Hell, I didn't even know if I was in Texas anymore. Finally, I managed to raise my head up just long enough to fling it back on the chair I was in.

That was when I first saw _him_.

He looked completely at ease, tranquil even. His eyes were closed and he was so pale that I could have sworn he was glowing. I took in his familiar brown hair, his every tattoo, his nose, his mouth – it was him. It wasn't until my eyes sauntered down his body that I noticed the two glimmering chains of silver draped across both of his wrists. The flesh was torched where the silver was and yet as I looked back up at his face, he seemed so serene. I knitted my eyebrows together uncertainly and licked my dry lips. "Godric?" I asked, my voice cracking from lack of moisture.

His eyes opened leisurely and every ounce of doubt slipped away. _Those _were the eyes that I couldn't get right, the eyes that held so much insight. However, before he could even speak, one of the men from the car came down to the basement and hauled me up to my feet. I winced and tried to fight him off but he merely pushed me in front of him and held onto the rope binding my wrists. "He wants to speak with you upstairs." The man said without any explanation.

He led me up the stairs and into a church where five other men stood. I recognized one as Ian but the other four were strangers. As the man pushed me down the short aisle leading to the men, I couldn't look away from my brother-in-law. He'd done this. My anger bubbled but my heart broke; he'd just handed me over like I was a speck of dirt beneath his fingernail. He was the first to look away and I only hoped he could feel the daggers I had been glaring into him. Finally, the idiot who had been pushing me down the aisle sat me down directly before the group of men.

The man in the middle looked vaguely familiar; I think I'd seen him in TV a couple of times. "Katerina Prekovich, I assume." He asked me with a sickeningly sweet smile. "There's no need to be afraid." I remained silent but looked up at him, completely disgusted. "Do you know why you were brought here?"

I looked back towards Ian and slowly shook my head. "I was abducted and drugged. I wasn't _brought_ here." I corrected, though I was only looking at Ian. Slowly I looked back towards the dark haired man. "But, no. I don't know why I was _brought_ here."

The man didn't even flinch at my tone. He simply stepped forward and smiled down at me. "I'm Steve Newlin, you can trust me."

Was this a joke? I could _trust_ him? "What do you people want?" was all I asked. My throat was itchy and I was still having a bit of a hard time focusing on anything because of how woozy the sedative had made me. "You didn't kidnap me to introduce yourself, just tell me what you want."

Steve's smile faltered just slightly but he didn't crack. "We have a straight shooter on our hands, gentleman." He explained to them with a tiny laugh. I looked back at Ian only to see there was absolutely no trace of a smile on his lips. "I hear from a reliable source that your family was killed by a Vampire, am I right?"

I snapped my attention back to Steve and if looks could kill, he would have been six feet under. "That's none of your business," I seethed through clenched teeth.

"And _you_," he poked the tip of my nose with his finger, "were the only survivor!"

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, pulling away from him in revulsion.

He cocked his head to the side and stood up to his full height. "Now if it's such a touchy subject, what do you think you're doing associating yourselves with Vampires? They are the Devil's Handymen, you know? Repulsive creatures."

I clenched my jaw and looked up at him with the most hate I could muster up. "You have a human being tied up right in front of you and _they're_ the repulsive creatures?" I asked. "In what world is abducting _anyone_, be it Vampire or human, the right thing to do?"

Steve Newlin didn't seem to like that comment too much. His face got sour and he looked extremely angry in that moment. "You have _no_ right to judge, _Sympathizer_!" he said the word like it was venom on his tongue. "Vampire's killed your entire family, killed Ian's lovely wife, and yet you still commiserate with them." He scoffed and took a step away from me. "In what world is _that_ the right thing to do?" he asked me. "It's not a world _I'd _want to live in, that's for sure. It's not a world that God wants to see, either."

"You can speak for God?" I asked numbly.

His right eye twitched. "You are a _sin_, Katerina!" he cried out. "A sin! These bite marks all over your body, they are sin!"

I looked across at Ian again only to notice he was quietly excusing himself. "Coward," I muttered as he walked by me. I knew he'd heard me because the second the word had rolled off of my tongue, his eyes snapped down towards me. "You're a damn coward!" I said, much louder this time.

Ian stopped, but only for a moment, before he left the area completely. I quickly turned my head back around to face Steve and furiously shook my head. "What do you want? You have no right to hold me or any Vampire captive!"

"Don't you see what we're trying to do, Katerina?" he asked, smiling again. "We're trying to save you."

"_Save me_?" I asked, appalled.

He grinned. "Yes!" he said happily. "We understand here at the Fellowship of the Sun that it is easy to stray away from God's plan. Sometimes you get thrown into the dark and do things without thinking. You're a young, attractive woman and Vampires will take advantage of that."

"Regular men take advantage of that, too, Mr. Newlin." I argued. "Let me go!"

"I will!" he said happily. "So long as you agree to be saved; you can join our –"

I rolled my eyes. "No." I plainly stated. "You can go fuck yourself; I will _never_ do that."

His fist clenched. "Are you certain, Miss Prekovich."

"I am quite certain you can go fuck yourself, yes." I told him acrimoniously.

Steve sighed and shook his head. "Suit yourself," he said, brushing off his pants before looking back up at the men surrounding us. "Untie her; send her back to the basement." I blinked stupidly as one of the men lifted me back to my feet. "She'll be cleansed when we sacrifice the Fang downstairs."

My eyes widened as the men brought me back down to the basement. "What does he mean by cleansed?" I asked but not one of them answered me. They simply sat me down in the chair I'd woken up in and began untying the ropes from my ankles and wrists. I winced as I surveyed the raw skin, but they made sure they weren't too gentle when untying my bonds. Without so much as word to either Godric or myself, they left us in the basement.

I slowly looked back up at Godric only to see he was observing me. He seemed to generate serenity and that alone made me calm down just enough to catch my breath. I got up to my feet and hesitantly walked towards him. "I'm Katerina," I mumbled before kneeling down in front of him. He looked down at me but didn't say anything.

I lowered my gaze to the silver chains strewn over his wrists. "This might hurt," I warned him before I cautiously reached forward. I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep me from gagging as I delicately pulled the silver away from his wrists. He simply just watched me pull the chains away from him without so much as a flinch. Once both chains were off and away from his body I slowly stood up to my full height and sat down in my original seat. "I'm a friend of Eric's." I finally thought to say, watching as his wounds slowly healed themselves.

Godric simply nodded. "I know," he finally said with a small smile on his lips. "I can smell him all over you."

**A/N. Godric will be in the next few chapters quite a lot. (As well as Eric obviously.) I hope you guys like it and thanks to all of those who review and alert and what-not, it means a lot! x ;)**


	12. She's Long Gone

**Eric Northman**

She was scared, so much so that it had woken me out of my slumber.

Our bond flared the second I opened my eyes. I felt her panic, her fear; I felt heavy. Something was not right, and I had all the faith in the world to bet that she'd gotten herself in some trouble. I stood up from the comfort of the bed and instantly noticed the red light on the end of my phone flashing. I'd missed a phone call, and I was willing to bet it was from Katerina.

A blaringly white neon light flashed behind my eyes and my anger sore. She was in pain, now. I clenched the muscle in my cheek and flipped open my phone. I dialled Pam's familiar number and held it to my ear; it rang three times until she finally picked it up.

"You rang?" her slow, southern drawl echoed out on the line. I could practically see the somewhat annoyed, tight smile on her face as she spoke to me.

"Pam," I began, throwing on a zippered track sweater. "Har du sett Katerina?" _Have you seen Katerina?_

"Mmm, now why would I have seen your human?" she purred. "You've made it pretty clear you're not willing to share."

I furled my brow. "Svar spörsmålen." _Answer the question_.

She sighed. "Nej , jag har icke sett din leksak. Varför?" _No, I haven't seen her. Why?_

"Check in on her." I zipped up the shirt and clenched my jaw. "Tonight; right now."

"I'm busy."

"I don't care." I seethed. I looked at my reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall and took in the dark circles around my eyes. I hadn't fed properly since we'd left for Dallas – since I fed from Katerina – and it showed. Her blood had lasted me much longer than any other human I'd ever tasted; it was like a slow stream pumping through me, tying me to her. She tasted like vanilla; just thinking about it made me salivate. "Go," I strangled out, controlling the ever constant need I had for her blood. "Call me as soon as you find her."

"And if I don't?" she asked. "Find her, that is."

The bright light flashed in my skull once again; she was frenzied and in pain, yet again. "Just find her." And with that, I hung up. I clenched my fists and opened up the doors leading to the dimly lit hallway. I didn't bother checking the time; if Compton and that human of his, Miss Stackhouse, were asleep I would simply wake them up. With a loud knock to their door, I waited. I was never a patient man, in my thousand plus years of living I was still never one to wait. I knocked again and this time Bill answered. He was shirtless and looked incensed by my sudden appearance. "Why didn't you answer the first time I knocked?" I asked calmly, slipping my hands into the pockets of my track pants.

His dark eyebrows furrowed. "We were sleeping." He explained, but I'd already looked past him to notice Sookie come up to us in nothing more than a white nightgown.

"What's going on?" she asked from behind Compton's shoulder. "Do you two even know what time it is?"

"No," I stated nonchalantly. "Nor do I care." I pushed past William and walked into their room. I'd gotten them a decent sized room and yet it still seemed much smaller in comparison to my own. "Have you spoken to Katerina today, Miss Stackhouse?" I asked, bringing my gaze up from the walls of their room to look down at the small blonde.

She looked confused and I felt my anger blaze. What was with humans that they had to take their time answering blatantly easy questions? "Katerina?" she repeated. "No, I mean – why would I? She's probably been working all day and—"

I cut her off by holding my hand up at her. "Have you checked your phone?" Was my next question, not wanting to make much exchange. I wanted to know where Katerina was.

Again she looked confused as she peered up at Compton. "My phone?" I allowed my shoulders to fall forward in irritation and shut my eyes as she repeated me yet again.

"What is this about, Eric?" Bill asked, stepping in front of his human as if to protect her.

I looked away from Sookie and slowly let my eyes fall onto Bill. I blinked indifferently and brought my hands out of my pockets. "I was talking to Sookie, William," I warned him. "It's uncouth to butt in."

I could tell that annoyed him but Katerina's fear was growing and my patience was dwindling. "Check your phone, Miss Stackhouse." I told her.

She must have sensed both my irritation and the gravity of my request because within seconds of me telling her, she scurried towards her cell phone. I crossed my arms over my chest and remained standing as Bill approached me. "What is this about?" he tried again, this time so Sookie wouldn't be able to hear him. I turned to look at him but didn't say a single word. He quietly scoffed and looked over at my attire. "Why do you wear those tracksuits?" I kept out eye contact but showed absolutely nothing behind my vacant stare.

"Oh," Sookie said quietly. I turned to face her and raised my eyebrow in question. "Well, that's just strange." She pressed a button on her phone and within seconds Katerina's clear voice echoed throughout the room.

'Hey _Sook, its Kat. I'm in Dallas for the night because of the twins and I have about,_' she paused. '_An hour and a half to kill before hand so if you get this message before then just call me up and we'll get a coffee_.' She was in Dallas? '_Shit_!' I looked up at the phone in question as Katerina's curse flowed effortlessly into my ears. '_Kay, I have to go_.' And then she hung up.

"She's in Dallas?" Bill asked, but he seemed to apprehend why I'd woken them up in the first place. "You feel her." I clenched my jaw but didn't answer him. _Felt her_ was quite an understatement. It was as if her fear was inside of me; never have I felt the emotions of a human so strong in all my years. "When did she leave you that message?" Bill asked, looking down at the small blonde.

"She called yesterday afternoon," she told us. She continued to look up at me and narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to see inside of me. I did nothing but stare down at her imperturbably. "Eric Northman if you know something, tell me right now!"

I simply stared back down at her before peering back up at Bill. "Call that shifter and ask if he's heard anything from her." I said, walking around Sookie to head over to the door. "I have something to attend to, make sure you call me if you hear anything."

I walked out of their room before Stackhouse could say another word and made my way down the long hallway. She was in Dallas, she was _here_. My cell phone began to ring but before it could play out any longer than a second, I flipped it open. "Well?" It was Pam, it had to be.

"No sign of your little human," she told me. "I tried tracking her scent, but it only lead me to the interstate." I heard her obvious annoyance as I walked out of the hotel. "Is there anything else you want? I've already snagged my favourite dress on that wretched bundle of wood she calls a porch."

"That would be all, Pam." I hung up on her yet again and looked around the spacious parking lot. I was in too much of a hurry to abide by the laws of traffic and knew that if I were to get behind the wheel I would only become all the more irritated. I shut my eyes and let my senses take over. At first I could only smell the pollution and heat around me. The gasoline, the sweat, the stale summer air – but then I smelt _her_. Vanilla and pomegranate; an odd flavouring but it suited my impetuous little human. I took off in her direction at alarming speed, flying off towards her. The further south I went, the more she whirled through my senses.

But suddenly I felt tranquil. As I shot through the air, I felt serene. No pain, no fear – just serenity. It wasn't that she was sleeping, I'd been through that before. When she slept it was either oddly erotic or tense from her dreaming – but this, this feeling was much different. I'd only ever experienced that kind of quietude with one other – Godric.

I stopped dead in my tracks but didn't bother looking around me. There was no way she was with Godric. The last I checked she could barely control her precognition and now, all of the sudden, she could find missing Vampire's at the drop of a hat? No, it was impossible. Slowly I looked up and took in my surroundings.

Her scent was as strong as ever but instead of seeing the leggy brunette, I saw piles and piles of stones. I growled and sped through the large gravel pit, it wasn't until I saw the familiar rental car that my fury effervesced. Her scent was all over it, naturally, but I could smell the perspiring odour of another unfamiliar male around her car. An animalistic growl sounded from the back of my throat as I took in the air around me, allowing my senses to kick in full force before following it for about a mile west. She was still no where to be seen, but I managed to catch onto one of the other scents quite easily. It was familiar, but not as familiar as Katerina's.

Ian; her futile brother-in-law.

I couldn't even begin to describe how utterly revolted and livid I felt as his vile trace trailed its way into my sanity. He smelt so wicked in comparison to Katerina which only made his strong smell stand out all the more. I gritted my teeth together and curled my fingers into fists. I let the foul smell overwhelm me as I began following it all the way down the road I had just come from. I walked westbound for a good hour all before stopping in my tracks; the smell was stronger than ever.

I dared myself to look across the street to the source of everything and found what little ounce of patience and calm I had left quickly diminish. The church of The Fellowship of the Sun, I should have known. I arched my back in an almost predatory stance and clicked my fangs out. I still felt our bond in the pit of my stomach, in my veins, coursing inside of me – she was antsy but peaceful. She was alive, that much I could tell.

Dawn would soon be here, but I knew what needed to be done. She was in that church and I was sure Godric was with her. Her tranquillity was familiar, I'd felt it, too, nearly eons ago. I stared death in the face all those years ago, and though I was fearful, I was at ease. I'd never met a being, human or Vampire, that could emote such stillness with the exception of Godric. She was feeling what I felt all those years ago, she was with Godric.

They were together.

It was a strange sentiment; my maker and my human. It wasn't jealousy flaring but rather something much deeper, something much less vain. Before I marched across the street and did something _very_ thoughtless, I grabbed my phone and punched in Bill's number. "Eric?"

I dared not break my gaze with the church across the road as I held the phone to my ear. "The plan for Sookie and Hugo to enter into the Fellowship will happen by morning."

"What?" he snapped. "Eric, that's –"

"Your words bore me, Compton." I cut in. "Make sure she gets her sleep, I'll need her nice and energized tomorrow." I hung up before I had to hear him whine again but remained stationary as a certain smell enveloped its way into my senses. It was the man who I could smell near Katerina's car – one of the men who'd obviously taken part in her capturing.

I was across the street, hiding around a corner before he had the chance to take three steps out the door. He was credulous but I was hungry and he'd pissed me off by holding not only my human but my maker hostage. He'd neared the corner and before he could even yell my fangs were out and pushing into the artery in his neck. His blood, though quenching, was not satisfying. I'd tasted ecstasy in Katerina, but he was no more than musty copper.

"Please," he rasped out, trying to push me away. "Don't do this."

I pulled away from the man and simply cocked my head to the side. He was bleeding profusely; it dripped down his neck and onto the cotton of his grey shirt. "Only because you said please," I muttered, withdrawing my fangs. A look of shock registered on his face as he thought so foolishly he had escaped me. But, as he moved to take a step away from me, I simply growled and brought him back into the wall. "I don't take kindly to repulsive imbeciles touching what is _mine_." In between the smell of cigarettes and candles, I could smell _her_.

A look of sheer panic etched onto his face, but before he could escape me I sank my teeth back into his neck and drained him entirely. His blood seeped out of my mouth and rolled down my chin and I could feel him collapse into me. I let his body fall to the cement as I licked my lips. "Idiot," I breathed out before sweeping his lifeless body up. I'd dump it in the gravel pit just for poetic irony.

**A/N. Thanks to everyone reviewing/alerting/favourite-ing, you're all amazing! Hope you guys liked this chapter. Godric is obviously going to be in the next few ones quite a lot but Eric's POV was kind of necessary. ;)**


	13. Godric

I'd lost track of time, but I knew hours must have passed. Godric had fallen silent after calling me out on Eric's scent and I simply sat there watching him. He was pale, paler than Eric or Bill, paler than any Vampire I'd ever seen, and yet he looked so regal.

The silence was killing me now and if it continued I would surely go crazy. I was never one to sit in silence comfortably for long periods of time, I needed noise. "I've dreamt about you, you know?" I mumbled quietly. Godric slowly opened his eyes and looked across at me. "A few months ago; I saw you and Eric…" I trailed off and quietly cleared my throat.

He blinked and a very slow smile pulled up the corners of his lips. "I thought you smelled different," he said to me with kind eyes. "You're special."

I chuckled quietly but shook my head. "I don't know what that means, but if it's a compliment I'll take it."

Godric's smile grew just the tiniest bit and my heart swelled. I knew he was centuries old, but the moment he smiled he looked his age, his _human_ age. "It's an accolade," he admitted. He paused and looked down at his wrists before slowly looking back up to me. "Are you frightened?"

I furled my eyebrows and slowly shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not sure." I admitted. "I don't know what I'm feeling."

He looked intrigued and sat himself up a bit straighter. "Try your best to describe it." He told me keenly.

I blinked and looked across at him in confusion. He looked so inquisitive, so eager to learn…but how could a man of his age have anything further to learn? I was sure he had been around far longer than I could even imagine, what more could he need to know? I bit the inside of my cheek and thought. "Well, I guess I'm a bit scared, but I feel…secure?" I knew it didn't make much sense but it was true. Just like the dream, I was scared but around Godric I felt safe. He seemed to emit serenity and power; he was putting me at ease. I looked over at him and noticed his eyes were locked into me, taking in my every word. I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know, it doesn't make much sense, does it?" I asked sheepishly.

He shook his head slowly. "I've always admired the human emotion; its complexity, its honesty." He smiled at me and slowly shook his head. "I've been like this for so long that I've almost forgotten what it feels like to undergo such emotion."

I frowned at his words and dropped my gaze to the floor. "What does it feel like?" I found myself asking. I looked up and noticed him tilt his head to the side in thought. "Being a Vampire, I mean."

"Void," he told me quietly, but that smile never left his lips. "It feels void." He confessed. "When you get to be as old as me, very little can make you actually _feel_ something." He looked at me and must have sensed my disquiet. "It's forlorn. That's why many of us find children."

I blinked in confusion. "Children?"

He smiled. "Children," he repeated. "When we turn a human into one of us, the relationship many of us have with our makers is similar to those that you humans have with your parents." He explained. My eyes softened as images of Eric's bloody tears streamed down his face. He was crying…was he crying for Godric? "But some Vampire's are lucky enough to find something worthy enough to make us feel," he said with a knowing smile. "Like Eric has with you."

My face flushed but I quietly shook my head. "Whatever it is that Eric and I have is nothing more than…" I trailed off, not really having an answer. "Eric and I are friends." I explained.

Godric simply brought his hands down from the rails of his chair down onto his lap. "And even if that were true, for a Vampire to become _friends_ with a human shows something." He leaned towards me, his smile never faltering. "That void becomes a little less every day."

I couldn't hide the small smile that was pulling up the corners of my lips as he slowly leaned back into his chair. "How old are you, Godric?"

"Old," he said, intentionally meeting my eyes. "Older than you could imagine."

I nodded. "For a Vampire who has been around for centuries, you don't seem to have much of a void." I told him. "You don't seem as closed off as others."

He chuckled gently. "But I am lonely," he acknowledged somewhat sadly. "I often fear I've worn out my welcome." He must have noticed my confused smile. "Never mind that. I've spoken more about myself in these few minutes that I have in years. It must bore you."

"Not at all," I disclosed. I cleared my throat and hesitantly reached forward to lay my hand on his. He was freezing to the point that it was almost too cool to touch. I'd been around Eric long enough to notice when he needed blood; his skin was cooler and paler, his eyes circled in purple bags. As I looked across at Godric and felt his skin, it didn't take a genius to figure out he was hungry. I swallowed hard and bit the inside of my cheek. "Tell me more."

He looked down at our hands and I noticed he smiled to himself. "Your hands are warm." He said quietly, eventually tearing his eyes off of our hands to look me in the eye. "You have no idea how nice it is to feel warmth."

I gently stroked his palm with my thumb and smiled at him. "You should eat."

He shook his head. "I've been around long enough to go without food," he assured me. "I'm in good health.'

"You've also been down here for God only knows how long with silver binds on your wrists and, I assume, very little Tru Blood in your system." I told him. "You should eat."

"I couldn't." He repeated. "You've been claimed and—"

"And I've seen how much Eric cares for you," I told him with a small smile. "If he saw the state you were in and knew I _didn't_ give you any of my blood, he'd have a fit." Godric smiled at this. "See? You know it yourself." I swallowed hard and scooped my long hair to one side of my neck and subtly leaned into my shoulder to bare my neck.

He must have eyed my pulse for what felt like an eternity before he slowly trailed his eyes back into my own. "Hasn't Eric told you to never tempt a Vampire?"

I smiled warmly. "I'm asking a _friend_ if he needs help, that's all I'm doing."

At the word friend, Godric's eyes instantly softened but only for a moment. Finally, he stood from his chair and gently brought me into a standing position. "I will only take a little bit," he promised me. "You have my word."

I didn't even have time to nod because before I knew it, his fangs were out and he was grasping my neck somewhat firmly. Slowly, he eased himself down into my neck and before I knew it a white neon light flashed behind my eyes as his fangs sunk into the sensitive flesh. I froze and immediately squeezed my eyes shut, panic slowly sinking in. I knew for a fact if any of the members from the Fellowship came down and saw what was happening, they'd have both of us killed. Seconds later, I felt his fangs retract as he gently sat me back down in the seat I was previously in. True to his word, he really did only take a little bit of my blood.

His eyes were darker for just a moment as he stared down at the floor, but as he looked back up at me they mitigated. "Your blood is very different from all of the others," he said, wiping away a bit of blood he had around his lips. "I've never experienced that sort of sensation before."

I blushed at his words and reached up to the fresh wound on my neck; it was swollen. I was half-expecting him to ask the question that seemed to always follow, but he never asked _what_ I was. Instead, he took a seat directly across from me and smiled. "Do you care for him?" he asked kindly.

I let my hand fall from my neck and let out a quiet breath. "I do," I told him honestly. For as much as I hated to admit it, the tall Viking Vampire who'd brought me nothing but trouble from day one had grown on me. I looked down at my lap and knitted my eyebrows together in thought. "It's hard though," I chuckled. "I mean, he doesn't really make it easy, you know?"

Godric laughed quietly. "He is a stubborn man, but he isn't to blame for that." He peered down at his hands and I noticed the tiniest bit of blood caked inside of his fingernails.

I reached forward again and gently placed my hand on his knee. "Eric is looking for you, you know?"

He looked up and nodded. "And he will find me." He said. "He'll do what he has to in order to get us out of here."

"He doesn't know I'm with you."

Godric slowly shook his head and looked down at my hand. "He knows." He declared assuredly. "The blood bond is a very powerful thing, Katerina." He said knowingly. "He's felt you every step of the way and he will know where to strike." His shoulders seemed to fall forward as he said this which confused me.

"You don't want him to come?" I asked uncertainly.

He looked back up at me and gave me a tight smile. "I want him to get you out of here, of course. But I do not want any blood spilled." He said. "Things like this exist because of all our wrongdoings. This Fellowship of the Sun exists because they have seen what Vampire's have done over the years."

I quickly shook my head. "That's no excuse." A look of surprise registered on his face. "Breeding hate isn't a solution to dilute whatever happened in the past. What they're doing is wrong." I swallowed back the clump in the back of my throat as Ian's face entered into my mind. "They have no right to judge what they don't understand."

Godric stood up from the chair across from me and fluently moved to sit beside me. I looked up at him in bewilderment only to notice his eyes were bright and a large smile was etched across his face. "You've been wronged by our kind and yet you are so good to me," he placed a hand on my shoulder, "to Eric." He looked down at the bite marks Eric had left me and then to the fresh one his own fangs had given me before slowly reaching out to touch one of the marks. "Centuries of crime, of war of murders have happened for far less and have gone unresolved, but here you are sitting with me." He lowered his hand down to his lap and gave me a comforting smile. "I'm very happy Eric has found you."

"Why?" was all I thought to ask, barely above a whisper.

He thought for a moment before answering. "You can teach him a lot." He looked down at his hands and quietly scoffed. "He's been an island for far too long now." He met my eyes again, but this time they looked slightly troubled. "You will take care of him."

I nodded at him and gave him an impish grin. "I don't know how willing he'll be, but I'll do my best."

Godric smiled desolately. "Thank-you." I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for, but as he stood up and went back to his previous seat, I couldn't help but notice just how alone he must have felt. I couldn't imagine living for that long with that big of void eating away at me. Was that how Eric felt? Was that how Bill felt before finding Sookie? I had so many questions, but not one could I verbalize. All I could do was simply look back at him and frown as heavy foot steps were heard coming from upstairs.

But I didn't feel fear. Not yet, at least. Ian and another man had come down looking angry as ever, but they paid no mind to Godric. The other man grabbed my arm roughly and brought me to my feet, but all I could focus on was Godric's face. He nodded at me subtly as if to tell me it would be alright and very slowly smiled across at me. Ian grabbed my other arm and practically dragged me away from Godric and up the stairs. The second I could no longer see Godric was the moment my fear sank in again. My tranquility and security had vanished, and all that was left was the terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach I had going into the basement.

"Where am I going?" I asked, my voice trembling. Neither answered me, but I caught Ian's hard stare. He wasn't the same man he had been just last year. My sister would have never married a monster like this. I tried to fight against them, but their strength overpowered my own within seconds. Before I knew it, they'd thrown me into a dark room and, once again, bound my wrists up with itchy rope. "What, no drugs this time?" I spat, looking at Ian with such disdain.

Ian simply looked down at the ground and swallowed his words. He waited for the other man to leave before lingering behind. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Kat." Tears welled up in my eyes the second the humane side of my brother-in-law shined through. "I'm sorry." He repeated again before finally closing the door behind him.

**A/N. This was probably my favourite chapter, to be honest. I really just loved Godric's whole dynamic on the show and I hope I did it even the smallest bit of justice. I hope you guys liked it and thank you all for the reading! (You're awesome!) x**


	14. Escape?

The door creaked open and I had to squint as the bright sunlight streamed into the dark, dark room. I didn't know how long I'd been in the room – twelve hours at least – and I definitely didn't know when or even _if_ I was going to get out. My head throbbed, my wrists were raw from rope and my cheekbone stung from smashing my face into the linoleum floors beneath me. I'd tried to break free a little over three hours ago and needless to say, I failed quite miserably.

I lulled my head up and winced as the bright sun burned my green irises. I blinked several times as my eyes tried to adjust to the sudden bout of light but didn't say a word. Whoever it was continued to stand directly in the middle of the doorway, their face shadowed by their silhouette. "I need to talk to you."

Ian. I should have known. "Fuck you." I muttered, my voice cracking from lack of hydration.

He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He flicked the light on in a blink the entire room was illuminated; my eyes burned from the fluorescent bulbs around us. "I should explain my actions, Katerina."

"You should have thought of that before stabbing me in the neck with a sedative." I bit back, but the conviction behind it was lost as I fell into a quiet fit of coughs. Ian looked down at me in what looked to be sadness before the image of a water bottle popped into my field of vision. I wanted to throw it back and scoff but it looked too tempting, my throat was screaming at me to take the bottle. "Is this drugged, too?" I snapped.

Ian pulled up a stool and sat across from me. "The seal isn't broken yet." He told me as he opened the cap. Sure enough, the loud _crack_ from the seal echoed around us before he shot me a knowing look. "See?" he reached up and held it to my lips and I took it all in greedily. The cool liquid seeped down my throat as bits of water trickled down my chin but he took the bottle away before I could take in any more. "Can we talk now?"

I nearly growled as he tore the bottle away from my lips. "So then talk. It's not like I can go anywhere."

His right eye twitched and I knew I was getting under his skin. "You need to understand, Katerina." He told me, a look of worry twinkled behind his eyes. "You _need_ to be saved." I rolled my eyes and was about to open my mouth to dispute, but he caught me off. "The church plans to cleanse you if you don't agree to join us."

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" I argued, ignoring the pain that was flaring from my bruised cheekbone. "Why did _you_ join? You have two kids, you can't just join some cult and—"

"Don't you _dare_ bring them into this," his voice shook the room. "You have no right to say anything! I left them with you for one night and you had a Vampire in the house!" His nostrils flared in rage as he stood up from his stool. I ground my teeth together furiously but chose not to say anything. "Their mother, _your_ sister was killed by one of those evil Fangers and _you_ choose to commiserate with 'em?" He was yelling by this point, the veins in his neck swelled as he swooped down low to scream in my face. This was not the brother-in-law I knew for all of these years; this was not the same Ian.

The man standing before me was a stranger. I felt a lump in my throat distend and it was becoming harder and harder to swallow back. My bottom lip trembled as the pressure of these last few days finally caught up to me, I was going to cry and he knew it. Ian immediately took a step back and ran a hand over his face in agitation. "Join the church." He tried again. "You have to."

I shook my head and finally succumbed to the sobs lingering behind my throat. "I can't," I blubbered moronically, shaking my head sheepishly. "I'm not going to join it."

Ian groaned and bent down to my level once again. "They will _kill_ you, Kat!" he exclaimed. "Do you not understand that? By cleansing you they will kill you! You and that Fanger downstairs will die in just a few hours if you don't save yourself."

"They won't," I told him in outrage. "You idiots think you're untouchable?" I asked through clenched teeth. His face fell but he didn't falter away from me. "You can behind your cross and think that you're safe but you've pissed off a lot of people by taking Godric. You've screwed yourselves over, Ian! If you let us go—"

"Let you _and_ that Vampire go?" His eyes were as big as quarters, his lips pursed into a thin line. "What did you…did you make friends when you were downstairs?" he ran a hand through his hair and stood up to his full height. "Unbelievable! Those bastards killed your sister, Katerina, do you not see that?" He was screaming so loud that his face was beet red.

"_One_ of those Vampires killed Stella!" I screamed. "_One_ of them! Just like _one_ human killed JFK, just like _one_ man started the holocaust! Vampire or man, Ian, evil is evil everyone is capable of it!" I was breathing so hard by the time I'd finished that the room spun. "But your church is too blind to see it. They blame all the shitty things that happened in life on Vampires." I looked down and noticed the water bottle had spilled all over the floor; my heart sank. "I will not be joining the Fellowship of the Sun," I finally told him, not bothering to look up at him. "And believe me, Godric and I are getting out of here whether you want to believe it or not."

I heard Ian mutter something beneath his breath before he finally kicked the empty water bottle halfway across the room. "I warned you, Kat." He mumbled. "Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn?" I looked up just as he opened the door only to see his eyes go wide for a brief second. I furrowed my brows and leaned forward slightly all before my own eyes widened in absolute shock. _Was that Sookie?_

As if on cue, the perky blonde's smile fell as she peered in through the door just long enough for our eyes to meet before Ian closed it. "What ya got behind that door?" I heard her ask, mock-curiosity just oozing from her tone. I had a feeling this was all a part of the elaborate plan Eric had cooked up for her, but wasn't it a bit dangerous?

"Nothing." A man replied. "Supplies."

I glared at the door. _Get out of here now! Godric is in here, you can tell Eric but you have to get out now, these people are lunatics! _I thought in desperation. I knew I wasn't going to be able to hear her thoughts but I'd be damned if she didn't get my point. _Get yourself out of here! _

"Supplies?" I heard her ask, but I could hear the disgust in her tone. "What kind of supplies? I'd love to see them! Any wedding décor?" I blinked in utter confusion but remained silent. It wasn't until a fiery burning feeling began to tingle in the back of my mind that my senses kicked into overdrive. I'd dreamt about this before…

_I was in a basement now, and I could hear Sookie screaming out for me. I go to move, but I can't. I can't see a damned thing. "Sook?" I ask into the blackness, my voice cracks._

I snapped my head up and struggled to get my binds, but found it near impossible. _Get out of here now! I'm okay, Godric is okay; they are going to get you, get out!_

I felt her hesitation but nearly cried for joy when she finally spoke. "Well, sweetie, I think we've seen enough for today." She said spuriously. "How about we head home to start planning the—"

"But you haven't seen the basement yet," an unknown voice cut in. "Come, I'll show you two lovebirds the best part of the—"

"Sookie, run!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I heard a loud scuffle just outside the door before I could even register who or what it was, Sookie's ear-piercing scream echoed throughout the entire church. "No! Let her go!" I yelled, rocking violently in my chair to try and break free. "Sookie!" I felt my raw skin rip and begin to bleed as my chair tipped over. "Shit!" I cursed, rubbing the rope against the ground in hopes it would break. I struggled hard enough for what felt like an eternity before one of the binds finally broke loose.

I didn't waste a single in reaching over to untie my other hand and before I knew it, my arms were free. I untied my ankles in record timing and practically flew to the door only to find it locked. "No!" I screamed, banging on the thick door irately. "No, let her go!" I screamed, but only silence followed my requests.

They'd gotten Sookie now.

I screamed in fury and stupidly enough kicked the door as hard as I could before groaning in pain. What in the hell was Eric's plan now?

* * *

The door opened again hours later only to reveal an almost crazed looking Steve Newlin. My stomach churned as Ian's words floated through my head. He really was set out to _cleanse_ me and Eric was yet to make an appearance. "Ian tells me you refused his second offer at salvation." He began, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug smile on his face. "For a young woman you really do not have your priorities straight, do you?"

I didn't bother to bite back a response; I simply stared up at him in disgust before shaking my head. I could scream until their ears bled about how wrong they were but they weren't going to listen, they were too set in their ways. "I need to use the washroom." I told him honestly. It really had been too long and with that little bit of water I had earlier, it was reeking havoc on my bladder.

"Do you think I'm foolish, Katerina? Do you think I don't know an escape tactic when I see one?" he asked with a quiet laugh. This guy really was an idiot.

I rolled my eyes and pointed to the water bottle. "I've had water and I haven't stepped foot in a washroom for more than half a day. There is going to be a lot more than just water on this floor if you don't let me go to the bathroom."

His jaw clenched and for a moment I thought he was going to deny me. However, I watched as he signalled for me to get up before shaking his head. "Get up." I quickly got to my feet and ensured I was holding onto the small piece of wood that had broken off of the chair tightly in my grasp. "You have five minutes or—" Before he could finish his sentence, I swung the bit of wood hard enough for it to hit his temple with as much force as I could muster. He let out a loud scream and grabbed onto his head in pain. "You little—" I pushed him to the floor before he could finish but kept the wood in my hand as I ran to the door. His eyes widened as he watched me shut the door and I could vaguely hear him yell out to me as I quietly made my way down the hallway.

_Sookie if you can hear me, please, please, please make a noise_! I thought desperately, ducking behind a corner as a few males rounded the corner.

I swallowed hard and waited just before a quiet _ding_ was heard reverberating from the basement. I breathed out in relief and tiptoed the rest of the way to the basement. I ensured no one was following me down the stairs and nearly cried out in joy upon seeing Godric's lean frame eyeing me carefully as I came down the stairs. I smiled slightly at him only to notice Sookie was hastily doing the last two buttons of her sundress up hastily. "Sookie?" I mumbled, barely audibly.

She turned around to face me and her brown eyes sparkled in relief. "Kat!" she screeched out. She moved to lunge at me but stopped the second she saw the state I was in. I knew I must have looked like hell itself, but the fear in her eyes was enough to make me second guess myself completely. Was I really looking that bad? "Oh my Lord, look at you!" she cooed, reaching out to touch my bruised cheekbone gently. "Did Newlin do this to you?"

I smiled tightly and shook my head. "I did that to myself, actually." I admitted sheepishly. "Are you guys okay?" I slowly looked across to peer at Godric only to see his face was blanketed with a stern expression. He looked years older than the Vampire I'd spoken to just hours before. For the first time, I saw the void Godric spoke so despondently about.

Sookie opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a loud commotion upstairs. I looked up at the ceiling in confusion as if to suddenly see through the thick scaffolding. "Bill!" Sookie exclaimed with a hesitant smile on her lips.

"No," Godric cut in. I looked at him in confusion only to see he'd shut his eyes in concentration. "I'm here my child," I felt my heartbeat pick up just slightly and let my body melt at the realization of Eric being so close. "Down here." I held my breath and looked at Sookie only to see she was giving me a strange look. I could tell she was inside of my head but I didn't bother putting up my defences.

Within seconds, Eric was at the bottom of the stairs. At first, his cobalt eyes were glued to Godric and I swear it was like looking at a completely different man. But then, only for a single moment, did his cobalt orbs saunter towards Sookie and I. I noticed his back tense as he looked over at the both of us, and in that fleeting look I saw more than I'd ever seen from Eric. He wasn't the rock he usually was, he was vulnerable, he was staunch…he wasn't void – he looked almost human. In a flash he'd turned his attention back to his maker and slowly kneeled down before him. "Godric." He muttered loyally.

**A/N. I swear the next update is legitimately like 2/3 done so not much of a wait is coming your way! I swear there will be more excitement in the chapters to come! Thank you to everyone for reviewing, reading, alerting, favourite-ing…it means a lot! I hope you guys like this chapter, though. I know it's a bit slow but I needed to get some things out there that will be used later on. Anyway, enjoy and review if you can! ;) x**


	15. Rumble

"You were a fool for sending humans after me." Godric scorned, looking down at Eric.

I noticed Eric swallow before answering. "I had no other choice. These savages – they seek to destroy you." Eric told him, looking up at Godric with altered eyes.

Godric was silent as he looked down at Eric. I furrowed my eyebrows at his hesitation but watched as he slowly looked up to catch my eye; we both knew very well what this _church_ had planned for us. "I am aware of what they have planned," he told Eric before pointing at the unconscious man. "This one betrayed you."

I blinked and felt completely foolish not having seen the body of a human directly beside Eric but before the shock could register on my face, Sookie spoke up. "He's with the Fellowship," she told us. "They sat a trap for us."

Eric didn't even bother turning his head to acknowledge Sookie had even spoken; instead his eyes remained glued to Godric's pale frame. "How long has it been since you've fed?"

I stiffened immediately as Godric gave him a wry smile before he turned to face me. It was as if he was looking to make sure I was still set in my decision to let Eric know that his maker had fed from me. I faintly nodded and stood up a little straighter as he turned back around to face Eric. "Your human, Katerina," he paused and genuinely smiled down at his _son_, "offered me the dispensation of feeding from her."

My eyes were glued to Eric's tall frame as Godric spoke. I watched as his shoulders squared just the slightest bit before he slowly turned around to face me. His eyes, which were noticeably softer the second he'd seen Godric, met my own within seconds and it was as if he was burning holes into my soul. I swallowed hard and shuffled my feet under his stare, but he didn't think to lower it. Our eyes blazed and very slowly I watched as he took the time to roam around the noticeable bruises and scratches I had covering my body. He eyed the bruise on my cheek, my cracked lips, my wrists, my ankles – and finally to the swollen marks Godric had left on my neck. I felt him in that instance. All of this time when he'd be able to feel my emotions, I'd never once felt him – but I could. He was clear in those few quick moments.

Our tie, however, was interrupted by a loud siren going off in the distance. "What is that?" I asked Sookie quietly.

"Save the humans," Godric told Eric hastily. All three of us hesitated and eyed Godric questionably. "Go on."

Eric looked unwavering. "I'm not leaving your side until you—"

"I can take care of myself." Godric cut in austerely. I frowned at how apprehensive Eric looked to leave his maker but Sookie quickly walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we have to go." She told him, trying to shake some sense into him.

He kept his eyes locked into Godric's. "Spill no blood on your way out." Eric didn't budge. "Go." He finally ordered.

I noticed Eric's jaw clench but he stood up at Godric's orders nonetheless and walked over to Sookie and I. He gently pushed Sookie towards the stairs and grabbed my elbow but I found myself lingering behind, eyeing Godric sadly. "You can come with us," I muttered shamefacedly.

He smiled and slowly nodded his head but didn't move from his spot. He wasn't coming with us. I felt Eric squeeze my elbow softly and I quickly turned to look at his sorrowful face. If I hesitated leaving Godric behind I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have felt like for Eric. I nodded wordlessly and followed he and Sookie out of the basement and up the narrow staircase. Eric had pushed his way to the front, shielding us from whatever could possibly be greeting us at the top of the landing. He stopped just before rounding a corner and ensured we were shielded by darkness. "I could have you out in seconds," he whispered, peering around the corner to watch as a few men evacuated the church.

Sookie sighed quietly. "Yeah, but there's kids out there." She reminded him.

He kept his stare forward but I could sense the hostility behind his calm demeanour. "They wouldn't think twice about hurting us," he mused dangerously. I glowered at him though he paid no mind.

"Why didn't you bring Bill with you?" Sookie asked into the silence.

He sighed but his eyes never left the crowd before us. "His attachment to you is irrational," he explained quietly. "It clouds his judgement. He would kill every child in this church to save you." His voice was perilously low as he slowly turned to face me, his eyes were vacant. I held his gaze but only long enough before he dropped it.

I looked down sheepishly and caught Sookie's confused frown as she eyed the two of us. "Why aren't you?" she asked him quietly, obviously catching on to the situation faster than I hoped she would.

Instead of answering her, he turned to look at me and clenched his jaw. "I'm following Godric's orders and getting you out." He told me, as if _I_ was the one asking him. I swallowed nervously under his intense stare but I couldn't find my voice. This time I was the first one to break our stare.

"He's your maker, isn't he?" Sookie whispered, looking up at Eric knowingly.

I stepped forward to give them a bit of space and pretended not to pay any mind to their conversation as I watched the women and children leave the church. "Don't use words you don't understand." He advised darkly.

I heard Sookie's hesitation but refused to look at them. "You have a lot of love for him."

I felt him standing directly behind me as he turned away from Sookie but I still couldn't look at him. "Don't use words I don't understand." He muttered. I felt his cool breath on my ear as he spoke his cold words but my confidence didn't seem to tremble. I'd felt all I needed to feel when he'd looked at me downstairs and nothing he said could take back what we both felt in that moment.

"Let's lock it up. Keep quiet." The stockiest of the three men said as they closed up the heavy doors. Eric placed his cool hands on my shoulders and tugged me back to stand beside Sookie. He took a step forward much to my dismay, but I grabbed his wrist before he could take another step forward.

"Eric, no!" Sookie gasped.

"Don't be a hero, Eric." I muttered, my hand still wrapped securely around his wrist.

Eric's eyes ambled down his arm to my hand. His own strong hand slowly wrapped around my elbow and tugged me into him, leaning down so his nose was practically brushing along my bruised cheek. "Trust me." He whispered.

I gulped hard as he let me go. Without so much as another word, he turned on his heel and stepped out of the darkness and into the open space. His shoulders slouched forward gracelessly and the walk he took on was not his own. It was awkward and tentative, so very unlike him. I blinked and looked at Sookie only to notice her eyebrows were puckered together just like mine.

"Oh hey ya'll, how's it going?" he let his southern drawl take over his speech, any bit of authority his voice once held had completely disappeared. "Steve sent me over to, uh, man the exit. I think I can take it from here." He gave them a goofy smile and if it weren't for our current situation I would have laughed.

One of the men looked confused. "By yourself?"

Eric looked to the man and bounced his head up and down. "Uh, yeah."

The man didn't look convinced. "You're big and all, but there's a Vampire on the loose."

Sookie shuffled her feet anxiously and concentrated on the scene before us. "Oh…" was Eric's swift reply.

"Where's your stake?" One of the younger men asked, eyeing Eric suspiciously.

"Ugh, dang! I forgot." I rolled my eyes at his improve. "Maybe I could borrow yours, if that's okay?" he asked politely, eyeing the young man with a hopeful smile on his lips.

The guy scoffed and shook his head. "Well I can't do that." He told Eric. "Get your own."

I watched Eric's broad frame straighten out before focusing in on the man who had denied him a stake. "I'd very much like to borrow your stake." His voice returned to normal; he was glamouring the young man.

The stocky man slowly moved behind Eric. He was holding the stake a too tightly which only made my stomach church. "Stake!" Sookie cried out, obviously watching the man's actions just as little carefully as I was.

In a flash Eric had knocked the man behind him to the ground and kicked away his stake just as the other one flew at him. He'd managed to throw him backwards as well and grabbed the third and smallest kid by the throat, holding him up against the wall with a stake pressed up against his temple.

Sookie and I ran out towards Eric and the poor soul in his arms. "Eric, you don't have to kill him!"

His jaw clenched but within seconds he dropped the stake and let the kid fall to the floor. I finally let my breath escape through my lips just as Eric turned to face us. "Come on." He muttered, opening up the door just enough to peer through it. We all saw the angry mob with stakes and silver chains coming towards the church and I swore quietly beneath my breath.

"Guys, through the sanctuary!" Sookie remembered, grabbing onto my arm to pull me in the direction of the sanctuary.

Eric walked quickly and both Sookie and I had to practically jog to catch up to him. "Where's the exit?"

My eyes scanned the vast perimeter before landing on a small, red sign. "Over there," I told him, pointing to the far right hand corner of the sanctuary.

"There are several exits, actually." Steve Newlin's grotesquely perky voice cut in, echoing all around us. We stopped dead in our tracks as he walked out onto the platform of the main stage. I heard Eric growl in outrage but he remained silent and stationary. "For you, the easiest one takes you straight to hell."

Suddenly we were surrounded by members of the Fellowship. Angry faces, silver chains and wooden stakes were all they carried, eyeing the three of us as if we were scum. It was intimidating to say the least. I let my eyes float over every face but stopped upon seeing Ian emerge from the crowd. He didn't hold the angry scowl that everyone else around him seemed to wear but a wooden stake _was_ hanging limply from his fingers. I could vaguely hear Sookie in the background as she spoke to Newlin, but I was so focused on Ian's distressed expression that I could barely hear her words.

Eric must have followed my stare because he quickly stepped in front of me and took a step closer to my brother-in-law. About five men immediately stepped forward and held up their stakes and chains, but Ian never did. "Eric," I mumbled upon seeing just how serious some of the crowd looked. I bit the inside of my cheek and slowly reached for his hand. "They'll kill you before you even take a step." I whispered, tugging on his hand to get my point across. He swallowed and finally lowered his gaze to me as my grip around his cold hand tightened.

"The war has begun you evil whore of Satan!" I snapped alert at Newlin's booming insult geared towards Sookie and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "You Vampires cast the first stone by killing my family," he paused and finally looked at me with a sickening smile, "by killing Katerina's family." Eric grabbed my elbow yet again and pulled me towards him. "The lines have been drawn. You're either with us, or against us." He paused to take a look around the room. "We are prepared for Armageddon."

"The vampire you're holding for prisoner got away!" Sookie screamed. "He's a sheriff; he's bound to send for help!"

Steve's smile only grew as he took a step closer to us. "I'm not concerned with Godric. Any Vampire will do for our grand celebration," he looked down at Eric and beamed to the crowd. "And we got one right here!"

Anger and resentment pumped through my veins at alarming speeds as my grip on Eric's hand tightened. Sookie shot both Eric and I a worried glance but he simple stared us both down and nodded. "I'll be fine," he promised, pulling his hand away from mine.

"Brothers and sisters, there _will_ be a holy bonfire at dawn!" Newlin cried out joyously as Eric walked up the steps leading to the elevated stage. Instantly two big guys with long, silver chains grabbed both of his arms and yanked off his leather jacket. Eric could have taken both of them in a matter of seconds, but he did not fight.

My heart was hammering painfully against my ribcage as the first of the men placed one of the chains around Eric's arms. "Stop!" I demanded. I took a step forward but quickly felt a pair of arms grab my waist and hold me in place.

"Kat, _please_ don't do anything stupid." It was Ian. He grabbed one of my arms gently just as another man grabbed the other; I looked over at Sookie only to notice they had done the same thing to her. "Please." He pleaded with me once again.

I ignored him but couldn't take my eyes off of the pained Vampire before me. Eric was now lying on the temple with chains all over his torso, arms, legs and neck. Such a powerful man sat smoking and pinned before a crowd; it was just sickening. "Why are you doing this?" I wondered aloud. I didn't care who heard me, nobody deserved this.

Eric sputtered for a moment as the pain of the chains burned at his skin. "I-I offer myself in exchange for Godric's freedom...and the girls as well."

Newlin grinned down at Eric. "That's noble," he began. "But they're just as culpable as you are. They're traitors to their race; the human race! They hardly deserve mercy." I felt Ian's grip loosen just slightly as Newlin's beady little eyes turned to look at me. He walked down the steps and I could feel Eric's stare as he watched the man's movements very carefully. "Maybe we should tie Katerina up to you so you can hit the sun together." He smiled at me and I could see the dried blood clotting around the fresh wound on his temple. "This marshmallow would roast up nicely." I glared at him and struggled more so against the second man holding me.

"Stay away from her!" Sookie screamed out just before the doors of the church flew open. All of our heads turned to face the sudden commotion only to find it was none other than Bill.

"Sookie!" he cried out lividly, his fangs out for all to see.

Sookie's brown eyes widened. "Bill!"

Steve sighed in annoyance and stuck his hand inside the breast pocket of his suit. When his hand remerged, there was a silver gun pointed at Sookie's face. "Take a step closer and I will kill her!" Steve threatened.

I struggled against Ian and the second idiot to try and break free but found it near impossible. "Shoot her and I will kill every person in my way to get to you." Bill tested through narrowed eyes.

Newlin opened his mouth with a retort but was cut off by the loud, booming echo of someone from one of the balconies. "Hey Newlin!" My brow furrowed and before I could register what was happening, a large glob of…something shot across the room and hit Newlin's hand, knocking the gun to the floor.

Newlin cried out in pain but looked up in shock. "Stackhouse?" he asked incredulously. I looked up only to see it was indeed Jason Stackhouse holding the paintball gun.

I couldn't hide the small smile on my lips but it disappeared seconds later when Newlin recoiled and grabbed Sookie roughly. "Let her go, Fuckwad!" Jason cried out, and being the expert marksman he apparently was, shot another round that hit Newlin right between the eyes. Newlin dropped like a bag of potatoes and Bill took this time to run across the room to embrace Sookie. Ian's grip tightened however, leaving me stationary as everything played out before me.

"Sookie!" Bill cried out, watching helplessly as she ran up the steps towards Eric. She took off all of the chains covering his body and in the twinkling of an eye he was free and holding Newlin around the neck. His wounds had healed but the murderous spark behind his eyes was as clear as day.

"Eric, don't you _dare_ kill him!" I cried out, struggling against Ian and his minion.

"No, kill him!" Jason screamed. "Kill the motherfucker!" I clenched my jaw and elbowed the other man in the stomach as hard as I could to try and free myself.

"Go ahead. Murder us before god; we are willing to die!" Newlin choked out, his face paling by the second.

As if on cue, the doors flew open yet again only this time it was a horde of Vampires. Ian let me go instantly as everyone turned to face the large group. The one in the center, a large Vampire clad in an extremely typical cowboy get-up, stopped in his tracks and eyed the scene before him. "Steve Newlin," the man began with a thick Texan accent. "You have pushed us too far. You expect us to sit on our thumbs while you round up your men to come lynch us?" he asked, his smirk growing. "We'll kill ya first." He promised. "Same way we did your father." My blood ran cold, and for as much as I hated to admit it, a pang of guilt coursed through me.

I looked back at Steve Newlin only to see Eric had dropped him and left him scrambling backwards. "Murderer!" Steve cried out as he squirmed on the steps.

I felt Eric's large hands slide around my hips, pulling me into his body vigilantly as he eyed the group contemptuously. "Destroy them," the cowboy told them. "All of them."

My heart stopped as the large group rushed towards us. "No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. One of the woman grabbed onto Ian's neck and smirked devilishly up at him. I pushed myself away from Eric and instantly ran up to Ian. "Let him go!" I screeched, pulling at her long hair viciously. She barely budged, but she did look back at me in fury. "Stop!" I hit her with all my might but she didn't even look perturbed. "Let him go you dead motherfucker!" I screamed, but her thin lips only twisted into a sick smile as she tugged the collar of his shirt further down his neck.

"Eric," the woman spoke. "Where have you been hiding this one?"

Eric's tall body was behind me in a flash, but he said nothing. He didn't have time to. Loud _swoosh_-ing seemed to reverberate from every corner of the sanctuary. Eric's eyebrows shot together but I was too focused on Ian's safety to join his curiosity. It wasn't until Godric's familiar voice boomed all round us that everyone stopped and stared up in awe. "Enough!"

I let out a relieved sigh and looked up at Godric. He seemed to glow as he stood above everyone; he looked like some sort of ethereal being. "You came for me I assume. These people have not harmed me." Slowly, all of the Vampires dropped their grips on the humans and sighed defiantly. Godric nodded to himself and observed the scene below him. "You see? We _can _coexist." He told us all before looking directly at Newlin. "Mister Newlin? I do not wish to create bloodshed when none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace will you do the same?"

I turned back around to face Newlin only to see he was now standing up to his full height. "I will not negotiate with sub-humans." He spat back breathlessly. "Kill me! Do it! Jesus will protect me."

Godric remained still but any bit of kindness washed off of his face. "I am actually older than your Jesus. I wish I could have known him, but I missed it." He whooshed down and grabbed Steve before a single breath had escaped my lips. "Good people, who of you is willing to die for this mans madness?" he asked the crowd. He waited a few beats but not a single person spoke up. "That's what I thought. Stand down everyone. People, go home. It's over now."

"Oh, thank God." Sookie gushed as Bill finally pulled her into him.

I watched as Godric threw Newlin down to the ground. "I dare say my faith in humankind is stronger than yours." He fumed, stepping over the stunned body of Newlin before looking at all of his faithful factions. "Come." He simply said before walking out of the sanctuary.

I watched as they all slowly dispersed until only a few of us were left. "Kat?" I turned on my heel only to see Ian was standing there, guilt clear in his eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," I told him. "I really don't want to hear a single excuse out of your mouth, Ian." I shot back tiredly. "You fucked up and if you think you're going to do this again—"

"I just need time to think."

"—I _will_ file for custody of those kids if you don't get your act together. And don't think I'm not going to check in on them, because I am." He didn't say a word. "Think all you want but those kids are my family, too, and I'll be damned if you take them away from me again."

He sighed. "Kat, I ju-"

"No excuses, Ian. Sleep on it, dwell on it, do whatever the hell it is you have to do – but I _will_ see those kids." I paused and cleared my throat. "And I _will_ see you when you get your act together." Instead of arguing like I was sure he was going to, Ian nodded. "I mean it; I will take those kids from you if you even _think _to pull a stunt like this again." I wanted to scream at him, to yell, to do _anything_, but before I could, I made a conscious effort to turn on my heel and walk away.

That was when I saw _him_; Eric. He was standing a little ways away from Sookie and Bill with an unmoved expression. I hesitantly walked up to him and took all of him in. His wounds were gone but the anger from what had just happened was still _very_ clear on his face. His eyes trailed along each noticeable mark on my body and the anger seemed to grow. His jaw squared, his back arched, he looked absolutely menacing. He said nothing, though. Slowly, however, I watched in awe as his large hands gently grabbed both of my wrists. He took in the raw and torched flesh with great difficulty before looking back up into my eyes. "Till synes , jag er inte den bara en du förvärra , er jag?"_ Seemingly, I am not the only one you aggravate, am I?_

A joke; an actual joke.

I blinked as the corners of my lips twitched. "Vad kanna jag säga?" _What can I say?_ I bit back.

He raised a single eyebrow up but no smile graced those striking lips of his. "I will fix this" he finally said with all the seriousness in the world, his gruff voice sending shivers down my spine. "Sätta fast du." _Fix you._

**a/n. Wow so, again, if you're Swedish – don't murder me on these translations. A lot **_**will**_** be explained in due time. Ian is still very much going to be in the picture and it's obviously not going to be all peaches after this stunt. But yeah, I hope you guys liked it. Sorry if it's a tad on the long side, but I had a lot to work with! ;) Anyway, let me know if you guys like it and thank you to all of those reviewing/alerting/favourite-ing/reading, it means a lot! **

**P.S****. I did use quite a bit of dialogue from the episode in regards to Godric and his cronies, (and obviously I don't own any of those said words) but I do warn you, I prefer to use my own interactions and unless what they say is extremely fitting to the scene, it won't be the exact words! x**


	16. Negotiations

The car ride to Godric's was quiet and long. Eric hadn't said a single word to me since we'd stepped foot outside of the church and I was growing pretty restless. I looked at him at him out of the corner of my eye and took in his stiff conduct – he didn't look too pleased to say the least. "I've been cooped up in a room by myself for quite a few days now, Eric," I muttered, staring down at the wounds around my wrists. "I've grown tired of hearing nothing but silence." He slowly lulled his head to face me as he drove speedily towards Godric's nest but said nothing as he turned back to face the road before us.

I rolled my eyes as I, too, faced back towards the road. "I'm catching a flight back to Louisiana tomorrow morning." I told him, resting my arm on the soft leather below the window.

"No," Eric finally spoke, but his eyes remained on the road. "You will not."

I scoffed and slowly turned to face him in a way that wouldn't agitate the bruising all over my body. "_Yes,_ I am. What incentive do I have to stay? You're not talking to me, Ian's a temporary lunatic and the kids are staying with Liz – I see absolutely no reason I should have to stay in the very town I was abducted in." I bit back.

Eric's knuckles whitened ever so slightly as his grip on the steering wheel grew tighter. "You won't go on the plane looking like that."

"I once had to make a speech the day after my cousin's dog bit me in the face when I was in high school. It looked like I was mauled by a lion – and yet I went on that stage and talked their ears off about global warming." I told him confidently, mentally wincing at the recollection of the bite. "I can certainly hop on a plane with a few bruises."

"You'll stay here with me, Katerina," he insisted. "I left you alone for twenty-four hours and you get abducted by your own brother-in-law." Anger reverberated through his speech. "If you think I'm letting you go to the hotel by yourself, let alone over state borders, you are _incredibly_ mistaken."

I ground my teeth together as he continued to drive us, but my own rage was at its peak. "I'll stay on one condition and one condition only."

His hand tensed yet again, his grip exceedingly strong on the wheel. "I don't negotiate."

"Then _I_ don't stay." I was pushing his buttons and I knew that. He may have had one thousand years to master his craft of being a stubborn man, but I was a bratty teenage girl once upon a time – I had him beat. He growled but didn't speak a word, I'd won. "Willing to hear me out?"

"Speak." He ordered through clenched teeth.

I would have smirked if the situation would have been different, but I couldn't find the pride. I really _did_ want to go home. I wanted to sleep, I wanted to eat – I needed some sort of comfort, and Eric was definitely proving himself to be a very comforting man. "Just tell me why you're so mad at me." I finally mumbled out.

He looked at me almost immediately as the words rolled off my tongue, but his eyes were vacant. I was getting so tired of his calm and cool façade; I wanted to see _him_. "I am not angry with you, Katerina." He simply said, looking back to the road.

I glowered and creased my eyebrows together. "You haven't even talked to me since we left the church and you're tense as hell." I explained. "You're about ten seconds away from snapping that steering wheel in half."

A sardonic smile graced his lips. "I just had several chains of silver all across my body," he stated. "Excuse me if I'm a little _tense_."

"That's not it and you know it." I rolled my eyes tiredly and leaned my head against the cool window of his car. "If this is about allowing Godric to feed from me, you're bring ridiculous." I told him honestly. "He'd been down there for weeks and he nee—" I stopped abruptly upon noticing Eric pulling onto the dirt shoulder of the road. "What are you doing?" I asked with a confused frown.

He put the car into park and remained as still as a statue. "Do not confuse my gratitude with anger, Katerina." His eyes remained cast ahead but he didn't seem so hostile in those few seconds. "Godric is my maker, I cannot begin to describe to you how it feels to know that my human has nourished him in a way that I could not." His gaze finally lifted off of the steering wheel and floated towards me. "Thank-you." His eyes burned into mine and the sensation that coursed through my body was supernatural.

I nodded but hesitantly spoke up yet again. "What is it then? Why are not talking to me?"

He held my stare. "Human life is frail, Katerina." He said to me. "I'd simply forgotten how fragile it was until tonight."

I wasn't sure if that was his own way of admitting he was worried about me or what, but I didn't press on the matter after that. Whatever it meant, I knew it was an accomplishment even getting him to say _something_. Eric fell silent and made a move to pull back onto the road but before he could, I reached out and gently grabbed for his hand. He slowly looked back over to me, his eyes flickering to the deep purple bruise on my cheekbone. I wanted to say everything but nothing all at once but I didn't know what to say first. Feeling brave, I slowly leaned into him and let my hand cup his stubbly jaw line. He was as cold as ice to touch but I didn't dare let my hand fall away from the man before me. Instead, I lowered my head into him and gently placed my lips on his own. An icy chill shot down my spine as he stayed completely still, but as I pulled away I couldn't help but notice his eyes were dangerously fervent. He grabbed my wrist as I moved to sit back in my seat and held me in place, his eyes dancing all over my face. "You should feed," he told me. "Now." I nodded and watched as he pulled his hand away to shift gears into park. "Come here." He gestured to his lap, but his eyes remained on me and only me. I moved to open the door but, again, he stopped me. His large hands quickly guided me over the shift stick in between us and pulled me onto his lap, holding me firmly in place as fire burned bright behind his blue pools. I had no choice but to look him dead in the eye as I straddles him, writhing beneath his touch as he held onto my slim waist. None of us made a conscious effort to move from our current position.

His legs were solid beneath me; like the firm base of a tree. I keenly looked down at him and hesitantly placed my warm hands on his exposed shoulders. "You felt me the whole time." It wasn't so much a question as it was an observation, but he nodded regardless. I swooped down to that our noses were barely an inch apart before sliding my hands up his neck. "Will the bond ever fade?" I asked quietly as my fingers slowly brushed along his chiselled jaw.

He wordlessly shook his head and placed his hands on my own. "So long as you're still alive, the blood bond will be effective." He explained. "When you die, it will too."

I winced at how casual he sounded at the idea of my death. It was inevitable, that much I knew, but for it to be thrown around so hastily made me cringe. "You're that comfortable with the idea of death that you can just throw it around like that?" I asked him softly.

"I [i]am[/i] dead, Katerina." He pushed my hands down so that they rested against his buff chest. "Now," he raised his wrist to his mouth and the sound of his flesh ripping echoed around us. "Drink." I looked down at the wound and grimaced. I knew it would help me, and I knew it didn't taste as vile as it looked, but I couldn't bring myself to drink from the ever-closing gash. He sighed in annoyance as it closed up, leaving a trail of blood seeping down his toned arm. "You hesitate as if you've never tasted me before." _Him_, I thought staunchly, _tasted him_ – it sounded so sexy when he said it that way.

I peered down at the trail of blood on his arm and let my finger glide against the crimson path, collecting as much of it as I could before bringing it up to my mouth. His eyes were glued to me as I placed my finger to my lips and licked off his blood. His grip on my hips tightened ever so slightly as he shifted beneath me, he may have been stoic and strong, but I knew what buttons to press with him.

A few strands of dark brown hair fell from behind my ear as I leaned into him, kissing his chilled lips very slowly, almost tauntingly. He reacted to the kiss instantly and pulled me closer to him by the hoops of my jeans. I shivered at how rough his movements were but revelled in their grace. I glided my hands up to his face and held it as I allowed my tongue to glide across his bottom lips. His blood, though it wasn't much, fizzled inside of me. Every hair on my body stood erect and my nipples hardened below the material of my bra. I knew V was a dangerous drug to get mixed up in, but the effects of it _were_ glorious if they were anything at all like this. His tongue slid into my mouth, invading the space as if it were its second home. It ran along the roof of my mouth and massaged my own tongue in a way that made my body feel like it was on pins and needles. I could feel how much my body needed him after having been without him for a few days, but what scared me was how much I craved for him as a whole. I was falling into him, and boy oh boy, was I too far gone. His fangs shot out the second my hands began to trail down his torso and I tasted blood instantly. He must have snagged his own tongue because the scarlet heaven that poured down my throat made my back arch in utter delight.

I savoured his blood inside of my mouth and allowed it to travel through me at soaring speeds. "You enjoy it," he rasped out as our lips parted for just a moment. "You _want_ it, yes?" His hands slid beneath my shirt, but he didn't push up the thin material just yet. I shivered and moved to kiss him again but he simply shook his head and broke the skin on his wrist one more time. "Drink." He ordered, but this time I didn't fight it.

My mouth was over the small wound within seconds and any bit of me that hadn't melted in pure arousal soon did. I heard him hiss as I pulled his wrist closer to my mouth and nearly died when I felt his free hand glide up my abdomen. His chilled hand pushed up the wire of my bra and cupped my ample breast as his thumb and forefinger toyed with my nipple. I groaned out in pleasure and tore my lips away from his wrist. My chest was heaving as I took in his pleasured expression. His fangs were out, glistening from the pale moon outside and his eyes were smouldering up into my eyes. I felt dominant as I loomed above him, straddling against his obvious erection; but the feeling didn't last very long as an obnoxious ringtone began to sound from his phone. His head fell back into his seat as he reached across me for his phone. I went to move, but his eyes alone told me to stay stationary as his other hand still hadn't stopped massaging my breast. "Yes?" he asked into the phone, thrusting his hips into me. I bit back a moan from that one swift move alone as his thumb rolled around my pert nipple. "Yes, Miss Stackhouse, she's right here." He replied, craning his neck up to drag his fangs along my collarbone. "We'll there shortly, yes." His voice was slightly muffled as his tongue darted out. "Goodbye." He simply said, throwing his phone into the backseat.

It took all I had to push away from him. "Eric," I breathed out. "We should go." He ignored me and squeezed my breast a bit harder to sway me off the subject. I shivered beneath him and shut my eyes in pure ecstasy. "I'm serious," I choked out half-heartedly.

He leered and pulled away from me; the look he gave me was definitely a look I was quite familiar with – he was agitated. "Stackhouse has had you for long enough, it's my turn now." He growled.

I smiled gently and pushed his hand out of my bra. "We go now, mingle around for a little bit, you can catch up with Godric – and _then_," I bent down and let my tongue slither along one of his fangs. "We'll continue." His eyes blazed but I knew I'd won. As soon as Godric's name was mentioned, I could see I'd leashed him in. "Deal?" I asked, but I had my answer.

He reached up and dexterously swept my hair back behind my ear once again. It was such a small gesture, but his elusive tendencies were few and far between. "I told you I don't negotiate." He mischievously reminded me. I raised a fine eyebrow up at him in amusement but felt my breath escape me upon seeing a glaringly slow smile break out across his lips. I'd seen him smirk, I'd seen him scowl but never had I seen a real smile grace those flawlessly rose lips of his.

I grinned and leaned into him to place a rather quick kiss on his lips before climbing off of him to take my previous seat. He pulled back onto the main road with ease and his smile slowly faltered into the thin hard line it usually was. I clamped my legs together tightly upon feeling just how wet Eric had made me but felt his large hand on me knee instantly. "Don't," he warned, opening up my legs with one rapid pull. I turned to face him and noticed his eyes were dark and his jaw was clenched; he was breathing me in – he could _smell_ my need for him. I flushed as he turned to face me, a roguish grin tangled across his lips. "This will be fun."

**A/N. So the next chapter will be told in Eric's POV! I hope you guys are liking the story so far, let me know! You guys are all so amazing with all of the reviews and alerts and everything, it really means a lot! ;) x**

**P.S. I ****strongly**** suggest you guys listen to the songs:**

**In My Veins – Andrew Belle**

**The Devil's Tears – Angus & Julia Stone**

**Sing For Absolution – Muse**

**Please Don't Go - Barcelona**

**Because those three songs I think define the next few chapters. If you guys have any other song suggestions, that'd be amazing! I'm always down for some new tunes. ;) **


	17. Wise Words

**Eric Northman**

I made sure to walk slow as I ducked around the crowd of Vampire's filtrating into Godric's home. Some I recognized, others were mere strangers but all of them seemed to rejoice in Godric's homecoming. I vaguely listened in on certain conversations, their quiet voices drowning into a barely-there _humming _sound as I circled the room.

That was when I smelt her.

She'd disappeared with Isabel nearly half an hour ago after she was offered fresh clothes and a bathing cloth. But, as the warm smell of vanilla and pomegranate slowly bled into my senses, I knew she had returned. I looked up, past the sea of Vampires, and felt my fingertips burn with yen. I blinked and saw red; she was luscious. She was wearing a little grey number that hung quite a few inches above her knees and her long hair was left down, coiling loosely at the curvature of her breasts. A light blush crawled up those high cheekbones of hers as she caught my stare, but she didn't dare break it. I half expected her to walk around the sea of Vampires, recoil in shyly in the corner of the room – but she'd surprised me yet again. Instead, she marched right up to me and crossed her arms over her chest. I looked down at her in that instance and fought back every fibre of my being that was screaming at me to rip the thin dress right off of her body. "Isabel gave you _this_ to wear?" The animal inside of me scratched at my skin to break out, but I withheld him; I would have to – but not for long.

Katerina's eyes danced over the crowd around us gracelessly. "I am _extremely_ aware that I look like dinner at the moment, Eric." She snarled. "Isabel is lovely but she's a little shorter than I am." She shifted again and attempted to tug the dress further down those long legs to no avail; every inch the fabric fell, the louder the animal inside of me became.

I reached down and snatched her hand away from pulling at the dress. "It will only be coming off later tonight, no need to fuss with it now." _Coming off_, oh, what an understatement that was. Images of her naked body had been plaguing me since we'd touched down at Godric's nest. That long neck, those creamy thighs, those breasts – there was no denying this woman was divine; but these thoughts of mine would taint the angel before me, I would make sure of it.

"Eric!" She scorned, but her eyes were darker than my thoughts in that instance. She needed tonight just as much as I did, and the thought alone drove me insane. She looked down from my stare and I smirked in triumph; this little human may have had a hold on me, but she would never coerce me. "Should we line up to see Godric?"

I tore my gaze away from her and craned my neck around to see the long line of Vampires and few humans lining up to see my maker. "Not yet," I sternly informed her. "Soon."

Katerina nodded and moved to walk away, but I stepped in front of her tall, slender figure with a spark igniting behind my eyes. She didn't look pleased with me at all as I blocked her away from the crowd around us, in fact her eyes seemed to narrow in imprudence. "Am I not allowed to get myself a drink, Eric?"

Her tone, so reckless and livid – it drove me mad. Any other human would have been put in their place faster than they could even imagine, but not this girl. This girl knew all of the buttons to push and it was infuriating. Who _was_ this woman, and _why_ was I allowing her to have this much clout? "Not dressed like dinner, you aren't." I let my eyes skim down that body of hers and found myself reeling with desire. How could Isabel be so vindictive to give her a dress like _this_?

She glowered and my lust grew. I was a man who loved the chase, and this little girl knew how to run around my every switch. "If you keep this up there won't be a _tonight_." How silly she was to think she had the influence to make that call. I'd seen her writhe beneath me from the mere power of three fingers; imagine the rapture of my entire being solely focusing on the delight of her body. I shuddered at the thought.

I leaned into her, _real_ close to her lips. I tasted her on my tongue without even making contact and my world went red; never had I encountered a taste like hers. "There _will_ be a tonight; I've seen you tremble – you can't deny your body." She shivered as my cold breath hit her and I smirked in satisfaction. I had her and we both knew it. She swallowed hard and I took this time to breathe my fiery human up. It was a scent so tantalizing, I'd never experienced anything like it.

That was when I saw Godric's bite.

It was a difficult thing to explain, but I suddenly felt extremely protective of the angelic prize before me. My maker, _my Godric,_ had drunk from my human. An entirely different feeling of pleasure overwhelmed me as my fingers trailed over the swollen bite. Godric and I were connected in many ways, but this was a connection that made my mind soar. She _was_ a whole new connection; her sweet blood swam through our veins. It was a glorious feeling. "You are something extraordinary, Katerina." The words weren't meant for anyone else's ears, but they'd slipped off of my tongue without thought.

I half expected her to blush and mumble an inaudible _thank_s like any other human, but her reaction took me by surprise. She didn't blush, nor did she think to speak. She simply stared up at me with an unreadable expression on her face. I had never wanted to glamour someone as much as I did right then as she faced me with a stare so confusing I almost doubted if I'd said the words aloud in the first place. She just looked so…conscious all of the sudden; like she'd awoken from a dreary stupor.

A loud _bang_ was what tore my eyes away from her greens. I snapped my head around and instantly stood taller as the vision of Isabel dragging along her idiot human, Hugo, entered into my line of vision. Katerina watched on in uncertainty as Isabel kicked Hugo to his knees before Godric. "Here is the one who betrayed us."

Godric's shrewd character dare not falter, but his eyes did skim over the scum brought before him. "Hugo." He simply said before his eyes met up with Isabel. "He is your human, is he not?"

Isabel's back stiffened. "Yes. He is."

"She looks so sad," Katerina commented with a small frown of her own. I furrowed my brows and looked down at her. Human emotions were useless; how could one feel pity for two people she hardly knew? Not even in my human days had I remembered feeling pity; it was such a futile emotion. "She loves him." Another emotion that seemed completely senseless.

"Do you love him?" I jerked my head up to look at Godric in disbelief. _Love_?

Isabel stammered. "I-I thought I did." Bloody tears began to trail down her cheeks.

Godric seemed to take all of this in, but still his façade didn't crack. "It appears you love him, still." He finally said.

"I do. I'm sorry." But how? How could a Vampire love a _human_ so much to overlook betrayal? It was foolish. "But you are my sheriff; do with him as you please."

He, again, looked considerate. "You are free to go." A few naysayers sounded in the background, but my eyes focused solely on Godric. I'd seen many sides of him, but compassion was not one I'd seen in _quite_ a while. What had he seen to make him change? "The human is free to go." He re-established firmly. "And do not return. I fear it is not safe for you here."

"This is a travesty." Stan commented. My anger flared and my jaw clamped shut. Godric's word was final, this ridiculous fiend knew nothing.

"This is my verdict." Godric declared but his eyes found mine. "Eric," I looked away from Stan and squared my shoulders at Godric's voice. "Escort them out. Make sure he leaves unharmed."

"Yes, Godric." I quickly looked down at Katerina only to notice a small smile. It was almost laughable how happy she looked, but before I could comment, I stepped forward and pulled Isabel's meek human up to his feet. After saying her thanks, Isabel was behind us in a moment looking relieved and astounded all at once. "You'll drive until you reach the Mexican border." I told him. "Do not stop driving for any reason; I imagine you'll have quite a few enemies waiting for you to screw up."

He stumbled and stammered over a quick thank-you before he looked towards Isabel. "I'm sorr—"

"You can apologize to her on your own time." I demanded, looking to Isabel who seemed to understand. "Do not stop driving." I commanded yet again.

Thankfully, they said their goodbyes rather quickly and the turncoat human was well on his way. The moment his tires took motion, I turned on my heel to head back inside. I saw Katerina talking to Jason Stackhouse but I went straight for Godric. He had a woman praising his return, but I sent her away quickly and knelt by his side. "Hugo's been dispatched. I told him not to stop driving until he reaches the Mexican border." He merely nodded. "I've arranged for an AB negative human for you." I offered. "Extremely rare."

His eyes didn't brighten at all at the mention of food. "Thank-you," he said. "But I'm not hungry."

I smiled in confusion. "You have to feed eventually. I doubt the Fellowship had anything to offer." I waited for a response, a retort – anything, but his face remained still and tired. My smile faltered and my stomach churned; never had I seen Godric look so troubled. "Why wouldn't you leave when I first came for you?" I asked, my anxiousness kneading at me.

He looked at me. "They didn't treat me badly; you'd be shocked at how ordinary most of them are."

My nostrils flared. "They do nothing but fan the flames of hatred for us."

"Let's be honest, we are frightening. After thousands of years we haven't evolved. We've only grown more brutal, more predatory. I don't see the danger in treating humans as equals," he turned his head to face Katerina and Jason. "The fellowship of the sun arose because we never did so."

I swallowed hard. "Is that why you didn't fight when they took you?" I asked him, almost fearing his answer.

The look he'd given me only confirmed my suspicion; he'd gone willingly. "I could have killed every last one of them within minutes. Now what would that have proven?"

I stiffened as we fell into a bout of silence. I was reeling over this information and yet Godric looked so complacent. Finally, Godric broke the silence. "Your human," he began, his light eyes watching Katerina carefully. "She's special."

_Special_. I had thought about this quite often and was still to find my answer. But, as I looked across the sea of Vampires and found her, my lips buzzed before my mind could think. "Yes." I affirmed. She was special; no other human had managed to keep my interests for this long.

I turned to face Godric once again only to note that his eyes were solely on me. "You care for her," he buzzed. "A lot." For as derisory as I may have thought that statement sounded, I remained silent. I had no retort because I had no arguments. That thought alone baffled me. "She does for you, that I am certain."

"She's human." I fought, but my voice wasn't as willing as I'd hoped it to be.

All knowing Godric only smiled. "And still she's claimed something in you not many can say has. Not even you can deny that." I fell silent again, but watched as Godric's eyes floated towards my Katerina. This time, I kept my stare on that of Godric. His face, thought still at ease, seemed to soften as he looked over at her. "I like her." Those three words sent frenzy off inside of me. "She was very kind to me." He turned back to look at me, but his smile was gone. "Do not be so quick to push her away, Eric." I blinked. "When you get to be as old as me you have many years to reflect on how forlorn this existence is." He broke my stare and moved back to Katerina. "I see she's fed." He commented with a knowing smile.

"She has."

He simply nodded and stood up to his full height. "Reflect on my words, Eric." He commanded with full authority before walking out of the room completely.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, Sweetie?" Katerina asked for what felt like the thousandth time as she sat Sookie down. "I mean, good for you for stand up for yourself against that rude woman, but are you okay?"

I knew I was going to get an ear full from Compton, but my anger was swelling, too. Lorena was simply supposed to come into the picture to distract Bill long enough so I could have Sookie's full attention to finding Godric. I hadn't imagined she would attack her in a room full of Vampires, in Godric's nest nonetheless. "I'm fine, Kat," Sookie replied. "Just a little shaken up, I guess."

Katerina frowned but didn't say anything further on the matter. "Did you want something to drink?" she asked, soothing down Sookie's shoulders calmly. "Water? Wine?"

Sookie perked up. "Water sounds nice." She subconsciously rubbed at her throat.

"Water it is." Katerina affirmed before standing up. I, too, stood up to guide her but she shot me a glare and smirked. "Stay-put, Eric." Her laughter melted into my ears as she gently nudged me to the seat she previously sat in. "Keep an eye on Sook, she's bound to be upset." She whispered so only I could hear.

"I don't _comfort_ people." I bit back.

She rolled those jade eyes and looked up at me as if I were the plague. "Then sit beside her for Christ's sake. I'm getting her some water, I'll be right back." She walked away and was out of my sight much sooner than I'd hoped she'd be. I looked towards Sookie and noticed she _did_ look disturbed, but I could offer her no words of solace.

"Excuse me, everyone." My head snapped up and I noticed a man standing there. He was human. "If I can have your attention; my name is Luke McDonald." I stood up just as Sookie had and eyed the sweating fiend. "I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun." My blood boiled as I took a step forward, but my eyes scanned the crowd for Katerina. "I have a message for you all from Reverend Steve Newlin." He unzipped his jacket to reveal a silver-encrusted bomb. _Where was she?_

But it was too late.

In a blinding second, he'd released the trigger.

I turned just in time to shield Sookie before the room shook and everything around us seemed to crumble.

**A/N. Thanks so much to all of you reviewing and alerting and just over all reading this thing. I very much appreciate it and you're all amazing! It's pretty late right now and I have to be up early (I got inspired so I had to finish the chapter) but I WILL be thanking those who have commented as per usual! **

**I hope you guys liked this chapter, let me know! And I really do hope I captured even a smidgen of Eric in his POV. x**


	18. This Night Is Far From Over

It felt as though a rock was crushing me. My head was spinning, my ears were ringing and I was sure that my ribs had caved in on me from the pressure on my chest. "What…?" My sentence hung in the air, but I couldn't properly hear it just yet. It was muffled; the ringing in my ears diluted my own voice. A pang of panic sunk in just as the heavy pressure on my chest slowly released; Godric. I blinked in utter confusion as this man's body fluently moved off of me. "What happened?"

His wounds from the blast were healing quite rapidly as he stood up to his full height. He looked rather thoughtful for just a moment before a sad smile graced his lips. "A member from the Fellowship of the Sun took it upon himself to end his life while trying to damage those in the line of fire." He explained to me.

Panic sunk in as I instantly got up to my feet. "Eric and Sookie?" I asked my eyes wide in fear. "Where are they?" I turned on my heel only to see Eric's body roll over to the floor; Sookie's stunned figure laying safe beside him. I practically ran to the pair and immediately bent down to their level. "Are you guys okay?" I looked down at Eric only to see several silver bullets embedded into his strapping body.

"I-I'm fine," Sookie finally said, though she looked dazed out of her mind. "Eric jumped in front of me." Her tone sounded just as shocked as she looked – as if Eric was _that_ bad of guy that he would have just left her to get killed.

I kept my eyes on Eric's body and gently placed my hand on top of one of the bullets. "Does it hurt?" I heard myself asking, my greens meeting his blues instantly.

"Sookie!" Bill's voice rang out from above us but I didn't even bother looking up to meet his eyes. I was much too focused on the healing Vampire beneath me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sookie re-established as she stood up to her feet. "Eric jumped in front of me before—"

"Eric?" he questioned, confusion dripping from his isolated tone.

Eric's eyes slowly fell from me to peer up at Bill with a bemused expression. "Does that come as a shock to you, Bill?" he finally stood up to his full height and I followed in toe.

His eyes flickered across to me. "Where was Katerina?"

Godric slowly joined us but he remained humble, he spoke nothing of shielding me from the blast. I peered across at him and saw his eyes were going back and fourth between Eric and I. "I was coming out of the kitchen right when he detonated it – Godric saved me."

Bill's eyes found Godric's and he slowly bowed his head in both respect and, what I assumed to be, praise. But before anything could be said he cleared his throat and peered down at Sookie lovingly. "Are you alright?" Sookie nodded and he simply smiled tightly down at her before looking back up at Godric. "Thank you for everything, Sheriff," he muttered. "But I do believe Miss Stackhouse and I are going to go back to the hotel – sunrise is—"

Godric held up his hand in understanding, smiling at both of them. "I understand." He looked down at Sookie once again and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are a very brave human and I thank you, again, for all of your help."

"You're welcome, Godric." She nodded and shot him a small smile before she and Bill made their way out of the wreck that was Godric's nest.

Once the three of us were alone, I quickly stepped forward and took a good look at Godric. "Thank-you so much for everything, Godric," I mumbled. "And I'm sorry about the bomb."

"The bomb was not your doing," he told me with a gentle smile. "It just seems that my words back at the church did nothing but put more hate into Newlin's reasoning." His eyes flickered up to Eric and that same smile on his lips became a little tighter. "Take her back to the hotel to get some rest, Eric," he ordered. "You'll need rest, yourself." Eric hesitated but he nodded nonetheless. Godric nodded but did not move. "I will see you both soon enough." Was all he said to us before turning on his heel to walk towards the rest of crowd.

I felt Eric's hand slowly slither up my spine before his cold hand grasped the back of my neck. He mutely guided us to his car, but he didn't start it just yet, he simply stared down at the steering wheel as his eyes grew the slightest bit darker. It was still so strange seeing Eric like this, seeing Eric actually look the tiniest bit human. He had emotions bubbling up behind those blue eyes and he wasn't focused enough to hide it. I hesitantly reached forward and placed my warm hand on the back of his neck, soothing down his wickedly cool skin for just a moment. His eyes instantly snapped towards me, his brows knitting together in perplexity. I simply shrugged my shoulders. "I use to have night terrors as a kid and when I'd wake up all antsy and befuddled; my parents would soothe the back of my neck." I explained calmly.

"I'm not_ befuddled_," he calmly stated. I once again gave him an impish shrug but didn't say another word. Slowly, I leaned into him and placed a short kiss on his stubbly cheek. When I pulled back, his eyes were darker than ever before. "You push your limits with me." There was no conviction behind his voice, not enough to make his words hostile.

"I'm just trying to get something out of you, Eric." I admitted rather sheepishly before collapsing back into my seat. I could still feel his eyes on me as I stared blankly ahead but I was too tired to even care. Finally, sensing my hostility on the matter, I heard the engine rev and within seconds we were off.

* * *

The hotel room was enormous, bigger than I could have imagined it to be. It was bigger than my house, for Christ's sake! It was just…so _very_ Eric. I blinked dumbly as I stepped further into the room, eyeing each piece of furniture like it was some exotic piece of gold. Staying in this room for one night would probably cost me just as much money as a brand new car would, it was ridiculous. "Wow, Eric, a little modest isn't it?" I mocked, taking in every squared inch of the beautiful room. It smelt of Eric; woodsy but fresh, like an unsullied piece of land. He cast a quick look at me but he didn't smile at my little joke. Instead, he took a seat on one of the large, plush seats and stared over at me vacuously. I let my shoulders fall forward as I stared back at him. "Can I ask you a question?" Eric was silent; I took it as a cue to go on. "Am I wasting my time?" He didn't seem phased by my question and my stomach churned because of that. "I know _time_ isn't really something you worry about too much…but I'm human. I need to know if I'm investing all of this effort and emotion and time into something worth while or if I'm being the idiot putting a lot of herself into something that wasn't serious to begin with."

I could have slapped the blank stare right off of Eric's face. He just sat there, looking over at me with his arms resting on his knees. It drove me insane! How could someone be so void? Anger pent up inside of me and swelled to its boiling point within seconds. "Oh, for Christ's sake would it hurt you to do _anything_?" I finally raged, throwing my hands up in exasperation. I gave him a second to digest my words, but still – nothing. "Fine, Eric. Just fine. I'm tired and I'm going to sleep." I grabbed a pillow off of the king-sized bed and began walking to the couch located near the fireplace, I really was an idiot.

"Jag har drömmarna av du." _I have dreams of you._

I stopped in my tracks but didn't face him just yet. I didn't want to _see_ if he was lying just to appease me or not, so I focused on the details of the expensive carpet beneath my feet. "Vad slag om drömmarna?" _What kind of dreams?_

He didn't answer and it made me nervous. I stood there, frozen in my place and watched as he slowly stood up to his full height. He walked up to me slower than I'd ever seen him move, it was almost unfair. My breath caught in my throat as he finally stood before me. Ever so tall, so strong – so defenceless. "All kinds." And he left it at that. Slowly, his large hand cupped my chin to ensure I looked into his stormy blues. "It is very stressful to be with you." He spoke quietly, but his words echoed through me like a crack of thunder in a vicious storm. "I'm not used to frailty, Katerina." I waited for him to go on. "I do not like it."

I blinked. "You don't like what?"

"_Feeling_." He finally said, but it came out as a snarl. "I haven't felt anything substantial in centuries. I felt your injuries, your fear – but it wasn't _just_ you I was feeling." I swallowed hard. He'd felt them, too. I knew he'd been able to feel me, but to know his reaction to my fear was genuine made my stomach churn. His words, though not romantic at all, were genuine. And for me, in that moment, that was all I cared to hear.

In a blindingly hot flash of a second, my hands were crawling up his defined arms and up to his neck as he lowered his head into me. His lips found my own and in that second both of us knew what we wanted. It was crystal clear. He swooped me up and ensured my legs were wrapped around his waist as he directed me us to the nearest wall. I expected a rough impact between the wall and Eric, but I felt no pain. Instead, he gingerly placed me against the wall without managing to break our much needed kiss. His chilled lips, like ice against mine, sent shivered up and down my spine as I tugged at the hem of his shirt. I felt his erection pressing against the inside of my thighs and my body reacted in a way that made me writhe. My thighs were burning and he knew it. He _felt_ it. "I've wanted you," he muttered, tearing his lips off of me to discard his black shirt, "for much too long now." I shivered and revelled in the image of his naked torso. I swallowed hard as he bent forward and reconnected our lips. "I owe Isabel an apology." He breathed out, placing me on counter with ease.

"Why?" I asked breathlessly, running my fingers down his cool abdomen.

His blue eyes sparkled mischievously all before a loud _rip_ echoed out around us. I looked down and felt my jaw drop to the floor. He'd ripped Isabel's gorgeous dress right down the center. I felt exposed, I felt guilty – but my God, did I feel good. I looked back up at Eric and saw that infamous smirk residing on his lips. "It looks better this way." He growled, slinking off the rest of the material so I was only left in my panties. His hands instantly grabbed for my breasts and he massaged them quite roughly. His thumb, just like it had in the car, began to roll around my nipples and I swear I saw stars. He groaned as my own fingers slid down his body, rubbing the obvious budge through his pants. "You shouldn't tease a Vampire," he forced out, his fangs scraped against neck as his tongue slithered around the artery.

"Who's teasing?" I whispered as my free hand raked through his blonde hair. I managed to unbuckle his belt and slide my hands completely down until I felt him. My chest heaved in pure delight at the size but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction in knowing just how delighted I was. I slowly, teasingly so, began to pump my hand up and down and I swear I felt his frustration boil deep inside of him. He allowed me to tease him for a few more seconds before he grabbed my wrist. He held both of my arms down against the counter, his eyes burning holes into me. My nipples scraped against his cold torso as I tried to catch my breath but it only made it harder to breathe. "I want you, too." I finally said.

Eric didn't make a move at first. He simply just stared at me. It wasn't until his grip loosened on my wrists that I was even sure he was still with me. Slowly he brought his hands back down to my hips and leaned into my lips for one last kiss before the night _truly_ began. Within seconds of his lips finding mine, another loud _rip_ was heard, and I knew it was my black panties. I was completely bare now, but he still wasn't finished making me tremble. He swept me up again, and brought me to the large bed. He didn't throw me on it like he has last time, but instead gingerly placed me down on the silky sheets. His lips enveloped around my hardened nipples and I nearly died as he swirled his tongue around the sensitive skin. His fangs scraped against my nipple and before I could even comprehend his next move, he'd bitten down just hard enough to draw a bit of blood. I gasped and threw my head back on the pillow in pain. But, as his tongue slurped up any bit of blood he drew, the pleasure sank in just as fast. He knew what he was doing. And my God, was he good at it. "You like this." He whispered against my breast before placing kisses further down my abdomen.

He stopped just before reaching my searing core and breathed me in. His eyes grew darker and I swear his fangs looked all the more sinister as he finally bent down low enough to delve his tongue inside of me. I gasped out in utter bliss at the sensation and gripped onto the bed sheets. "Eric!" I practically screamed out, squeezing my eyes shut from the amount of pleasure shooting through my body. The sensation of his icy tongue against my clit made me scream out again. It was just too much. I was shaking. His hands slid up my legs and held onto my waist as he licked me up, holding me in place to ensure no matter how much I trembled, he didn't leave one inch of me untouched. "Oh my God, Eric!" I breathed out, my knuckles whitening from the grip I had on the sheets. All I could see were the stars flashing before my eyes as he finally tore his mouth away from me. His chin glistened and I felt sheepish for some silly reason.

But that didn't last long.

Before I could breathe, he'd sank his teeth into the main artery in my thigh. I screamed out, but this time in pain, as he licked up the blood. He continued to drink from me and, just like the first time he'd bit my neck, the pain simmered away and allowed room for the pleasure to overwhelm me. I was an inferno waiting to take down as much as I could in my high. I groaned as his mouth left that region all together but I managed to open my eyes just long enough to see Eric standing up. He was so focused in on my face and the wild look in his eyes only clarified that he was far from finished. His pants fell to the ground below him and I felt my body heat up all over again.

He was glorious.

I'd had lovers in the past, but not one could compare to Eric Northman. I had to gulp at the extent of him. This was going to be a whole different experience, I could just tell.

He crawled up my body, his tempestuous eyes never leaving my own. There was blood and my nectar all along his lips but in utter Eric fashion, he licked all of it off before his face reached mine. "Du er min." _You are mine._ He whispered, and before I could even brace myself, he'd pushed himself into me. I cried out in both pain and pleasure as he pumped into me. My nails dug into his back and I couldn't withhold my screaming even if I had tried. He was moving so slow again, and I knew he wasn't doing it so I got used to his girth. _He_ was doing the teasing this time around and it was killing me.

"_I _don't like to be teased, Eric." I managed out.

I heard him laugh; his entire body trembled for just a moment as he finally looked down at me. "Then by all means,"—in a flash, he'd flipped us over so I was on top—"have _your_ way with me, Katerina." He slid his hands up to my hips and began rocking his hips so I slid up and down on him. The new position made my skin tingle from all of the new found sensations. I smirked and allowed myself to slowly crash back down on him and he'd meet me halfway each time.

So, I did.

"Den här natt är långt från over," he kept saying through his fangs. "Den här natt är långt från over."

_This night is far from over…_

**a/n. Wow, so I haven't updated in about five days, and I am sorry! I just realized it was kind of a cliff-hanger, too. Sorry, guys ;) But I'm back! I assure you, I am back. And, for those of you that are interested, I have started a new story of The Outsiders if anyone is interested in checking it out. But, don't worry. It ****will not**** take priority over this story. I really do like both of stories too much to stop them. ;) Thank you for all of the lovely reviews/alerts and what-not, it really means a lot! I hope you guys like this chapter! **


	19. Fader, Broder, Son

It was pitch black in the hotel room when I finally blinked awake. I was buried beneath the covers but I could still feel the obvious coolness of Eric's body next to mine. A slow smile pulled up the corners of my lips as I finally raised my head to look over at him; man, did he look different when he slept. He looked so peaceful, so oblivious to the world around him. A quiet chuckle escaped through my lips as I let my head fall back against the plush pillow before I gently raised my hand up from the comfort of the duvet covers. Slowly, I let my fingers trail along his jaw before slithering down his neck and collarbone. He didn't even stir as I tickled his cold skin, he simply remained still. It was odd not feeling someone breathe beneath your fingertips. He was as still as a statue beside me.

It wasn't until I let my hand slowly fall back onto the sheet that the statue came to life. His blue, penetrating eyes opened and _very_ slowly, I watched as a slow smile graced his lips. I'd seen him smile but it took my breath away each time. The man was faultless and when he smiled it only made his strapping features all the more brilliant. "I'm surprised you have that much energy left in you after last night." He muttered, shifting towards me so his nose nearly brushed against mine.

I laughed. "Believe me, that's all I'll be able to do today."

Instead of retorting with any words, he reached forward and entwined his long, slender fingers with my own. It was strange holding hands with Eric. An action I had done with so many other men over the course of both my adolescence and my adulthood seemed so…intense with Eric. I was holding his hand, but it felt as if we were caught up in a frenzy of emotions; like we were doing something sensual out in the open.

"You know," I began tiredly, looking down at our intertwined fingers. "I use to wear my grandmother's sapphire ring all the time before you came along." I looked back up at him only to see his eyebrows were pulled together. "But it was silver and I had you harassing me every night, so I had to take it off."

A wolfish smirk broke out across his face as his lips brushed along my knuckles. "Is that right?" I nodded but before I could say another word, he pulled me into him and rolled us over so I was lying directly on top of him. We were both still completely nude, but the sensation of my heat and his coolness sent shivers down my spine. It was a feeling I hoped my body would never get used to. I felt his finger on my back, drawing tiny circles into the flesh all the way down until he reached the curve of my back. His circles ceased, but he continued his way all the way down until his fingers gently scraped along my tailbone. I shivered into him and I _knew_ he'd felt it. "You dreamt of me last night."

I smiled gently down at him. "How do you figure?"

He reached up and twirled a strand of my hair slowly. "You said my name a few times." He admitted devilishly. He must have noticed the gentle blush that crept up my cheekbones because before I could say anything he craned his neck up and slowly ran his tongue along my bottom lip. I'd never get used to that. "There will be time for talking later," he mumbled into my lips. He slid both of his hands down my exposed sides and instantly grasped onto my hips, twirling us over so he was on top. His arms were like bars, caging me into the bed as he eyed me hungrily.

"Didn't you get enough last night?" I playfully asked him, drawing tiny circles into the flesh of his neck.

His gaze deepened. "It'll never be enough now that I've had a taste."

I rolled my eyes but felt my body shiver at his words. "I'm only human, you know."

His eyes flared dangerously as he slowly swooped down so his nose brushed against mine. "That _can_ be fixed, Katerina."

I tensed beneath him instantly. In all the months that Eric and I had been _together_, turning me into a Vampire was never even discussed. I couldn't turn. I didn't want to turn. I had Darry and Mary; Sookie and Sam – I had my life in Bon Temps to think about. Eric _wasn't_ my entire life and I wasn't about to let him take it away from me. "Why _fix_ anything if it's not broken?" I asked, a definite edge to my tone.

He remained hovering above me and did not flinch at my words. "But if you know it _can_ break, why not stop it before it does?"

That got me angry. "Maybe because _it_ is my _life_. It's not a broken toy or a mucked up engine, it's my life." I stated, my eyes narrowing into slits. "Whether you like it or not, I'm human and that's not going to change."

Eric's jaw clenched. "You say that now."

"And I'll continue to say it until my last dying breath, Eric." I growled. "I like being a human. I like being able to feel things freely; I don't want to die."

Eric scoffed but made no move to roll off of me. "You're dying as it is." He said, his tone making me flinch. "All of you humans are."

"Yes, but that—"

"But nothing," he stated calmly.

I glared daggers into his face. "I don't like being interrupted."

"I don't like all this talking when we could be doing other things." He bit back.

I scoffed. "If you think you're getting anything out of this conversation, you're dead wrong."

A smirk broke across Eric's lips as he bent down so he was propping himself up by his elbows. "I'm dead," he muttered casually, his lips tauntingly scraping along my lips. "But I'm not wrong." With his right hand, he reached down and began rubbing my wet folds. I hissed and bucked into his hand; he knew all of the right places to touch. "See?" he asked, capturing my lips almost immediately. "I'm always right."

* * *

A loud knock on our door was heard nearly two hours later. A part of me hated hearing that blisteringly loud interruption, but another part of me, a much smaller part, was thankful. This man was a machine and, boy, could I use a shower. He froze, mid-thrust and swore under his breath. "Leave." He said loudly to whoever stood behind the door.

He turned his attention back to me but before he could slip into me yet again, Bill's voice cut in. "Eric, it's about Godric."

I knew that would get him off of me and sure enough, he no sooner climbed off of me and slipped on a pair of pants. He didn't bother with a shirt, he simply swung open the door and peered down at Bill. Thankfully, I'd managed to grab the blanket and cover myself up just fast enough to avoid letting Bill see anything. "What is this regarding?" he asked calmly. Bill quickly peered across at me but Eric stepped into his line of vision and raised his brows. "_What_ is this regarding?" he repeated more firmly this time around.

"Godric may be reprimanded." Bill explained in a hushed tone, being careful not to set Eric off. It didn't take a genius to figure out Godric's mention was a touchy subject.

"By whom?" Eric asked, straightening his back out like a predator.

"Nan Flanagan." He said, louder this time around. "She and a few of her representatives are here to talk to Godric about what happened at the Fellowship."

Eric nodded stiffly. "We'll be there in a minute." He shut the door before Bill could even think to say another word and turned to look at me. He didn't have to say a single word; I knew I had to get moving. I quickly hopped out of the bed and went into the bathroom. I may not have had time to take a shower but I needed to freshen up even the slightest bit before seeing others.

Eric's quiet knock was heard after a few moments. Instead of waiting on me to give him the O.K in coming in, he'd waltzed in and handed me some clothes. "If she asks you anything, _don't_ be intimidated; she's nothing but an administrator. You'll tell her what you saw – you're the only witness he has."

"Of course." I vowed with a firm nod of my head.

Eric nodded and lingered there for a moment longer. Then, shocking me, he slowly leaned down and placed his cool lips on my hair. "Thank-you." He said before walking out of the bathroom, shutting door behind him.

I must have stared at the door for a good thirty seconds with a mixture of emotions swirling inside of me, before I finally focused my attention on getting dressed. I threw on a bra with a pair of black panties before neatly unfolding the clothes he'd given me; I had no idea where he'd gotten _my_ clothes from, but I wasn't complaining. I threw on the red tank top and tucked its hem into the pair of high-cut blue jean shorts he'd given me. "Where did you get my clothes?" I asked in confusion as I re-opened the door.

He was fully clothed now as well, leaning against the back of the couch mindlessly. He slowly looked up from the ground and met my gaze. "I found the rental car and brought out your suitcase."

My eyes widened at the thought. _The rental car!_ I thought bitterly. "Shit," I muttered. "The car."

"I had Pam come down a few nights ago to retrieve it." He told me casually, slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants.

I blinked. "She wasn't mad?" I asked curiously, picking up one of the loose grey cardigans I had inside of my suitcase.

"She was livid." He simply said before standing up to his full height. "Let's go."

I followed him out of the hotel room and into the hallway. I had long legs, but his were longer and with every step he took I had to take two or three just to keep up with him. Bill and Sookie and a few of the other Vampires from Godric's nest were swarming outside of one hotel room in particular. They all, with the exception of Sookie and Bill, stared up at Eric with knowing eyes. It seemed most of them now knew that Eric was Godric's creation and understood that he should be the first to enter into the room. There was a mutual respect for Eric in that moment, and I watched as the lot of them separated to allow Eric inside. I lingered behind, unsure of what to do, until I caught Bill's eye. "Go," he whispered quietly, gently ushering me into the room before he and Sookie entered as well.

I instantly saw Godric sitting on one of the couches, looking as serene and composed as ever. On a nearby chair sat a woman who I'd seen on the television a few times; Nan, I assumed. She eyed Eric as soon as he walked in but no sooner had she dropped her gaze to look at Sookie and I. She looked at us with a mixture of confusion and ignorance dripping off of her face before everyone finally took a seat. Sookie, Bill and I were on the couch opposite Isabel and Godric and Eric sauntered off towards a nearby chair facing Nan Flanagan and the rest of her posse. He looked livid, disgusted.

Nan finally looked around the room at all of us before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Do you have any fucking idea the PR mess you've made?" she began, glaring at Godric in particular, "and who has to clean that fucking shit up? Me. Not you. Me." She looked around again and slowly shook her head. "I should drain every one of you bastards." I swallowed quietly. Her words may have been hollow but they were still crude and made me squirm in my seat.

Eric blinked slowly, eyeing the woman before us with such disdain. "Stan went into the church on his own," he muttered. "None of us knew anything about it."

Nan scoffed. "Oh really? Because anyone who has met Stan in the last three hundred years knew that he had a kink out of slaughtering humans. But you, his nest mates," she looked pointedly at Godric, "his sheriff, had no clue?"

Isabel quietly shook her head. I didn't know this woman too well, but she seemed very genuine. She believed in Godric just as much as any of the others did – just as much as Eric believed in him. "And how we were supposed to know that this time he meant it?" she asked in annoyance.

"Not my problem." She, yet again, looked at Godric. "Yours."

Anger flared inside of me, but I could practically _feel_ Eric's frustrations as he clenched his jaw in outrage. "Don't talk to him that way." He warned the woman.

Nan tore her eyes away from Godric and perked a single eyebrow up at Eric. "Don't talk to _me_ that way." She told him simply. I looked across at Eric only to catch his eye for a split second before Nan continued. "Let's get to the point. How'd they manage to abduct you?" she asked Godric, folding her hands on her lap calmly.

I looked across at Godric. How _did_ they manage to abduct him? I knew silver weakened Vampires but how did they manage to get _that_ close to him to begin with? "They would have taken one of us sooner or later." He told her. He seemed to pause for a moment before finally answering her. "I offered myself."

My eyes widened at this revelation but, I wasn't _too_ surprised. He was much too calm in the Fellowship. While I was freaking out to the point of insanity, Godric was tamed, harboured.

"Why?" Nan asked in utter disbelief.

"Why not?" He countered back with a simple shrug.

I looked at Eric just as Nan mentioned Godric wanting to meet the sun and watched his face fall. Godric really was all Eric had. If the relationship between Maker and Son was anything like that of a parent or companion like Godric had told me, I could see why. Godric knew his life could have ended in that circumstance and yet he saw no problem with it. Eric would have been left without his maker – his kin. It was disheartening.

"What do you think?" Godric asked, breaking me out of my thoughts instantly.

"I think you're out of your mind." She simply stated, anger clear in her tone. "And what's this I hear about a traitor?"

Godric shook his head and Isabel stiffened beside him. "Irrelevant. Only rumour; I take full responsibility." He looked at Isabel for only a moment before peered straight forward.

"You'd bet you will."

I heard Eric shuffle from the chair. "You cold bitch." He muttered, dangerously low. Every fibre of my being was burning to reach out and grab for his hand, but my brain was telling me not to. He was in a fragile state right now and his emotions were certainly getting the best of him. He wouldn't let me get in the middle of that.

"Listen, this is a national Vampire disaster, and no one at the top has any sympathy for any of you." She paused for only a beat before continuing. "Sherriff, you fucked up. You're fired."

"What?" I found myself asking, but it came out no louder than a whisper. How could he be fired? He offered _himself_ up, it wasn't like he—

"I agree," Godric nodded. "Of course." He looked beside him towards Isabel once again. "Isabel should take over – she had no part in my disgrace."

All she did was shake her head and grab his arm as if to try and drive her point home. "Godric," she pleaded. "Fight back."

"What-what are you saying?" Eric yelled out, his fury evident. He pointed to Nan, but his eyes were glued to his maker. "She's a bureaucrat! You don't have to take shit from her!" He declared, the vein in his neck pulsed against his skin.

My eyes were glued to the raging blonde Vampire beside me. "You wanna lose your area, Viking?" Nan threatened, but I still couldn't look away from Eric.

"You don't have that kind of power." He bit back, snarling at the woman.

I finally looked towards Nan only to see if she had an ounce of fear on her. Not one bit. She shot him a mocking smile instead. "But I am on TV. Try me." She dared.

Isabel shook her head furiously. "I'm to blame. I should have contained Stan the second Godric went missing."

"Isabel." Godric cut in, looking at her with a peaceful but firm smile on his lips. He shook his head and slowly looked forward again. "I remove myself from all positions of authority." You could have heard a pin drop in that room the second those eight words left his lips. He was really giving up that easily?

But, Nan looked quite comfortable with his answer. "Works for me."

I felt Sookie shuffle beside me and watched as Bill tried to shut her up before she could say a word. But, Sookie wasn't having any of it. I couldn't blame her for that. How we were supposed to sit idly by and watch as a great Vampire got derided for being just that? "Ms. Flanagan?" Nan's eyes met Sookie's almost instantly. "Godric rescued me from a really large rapist…who probably would have killed me, too."

She didn't look moved whatsoever. "That's nice. Moving on."

"No! Listen! And then he saved a bunch more humans in that church, plus a whole lotta Vampires, too." She looked at Godric quickly before peering back at Nan. "You think it's a PR mess now? It could have been a hundred –no, a million times worse. You should thank him."

The woman scoffed. "For getting kidnapped? For attracting a suicide bomber?" Her blue eyes sauntered down the row before landing on me. I'd never seen such annoyance in my life. "What about you? What? We're you one of the _humans_ he saved from the Fellowship?"

All eyes were on me now. I quietly cleared my throat and sat up a little straighter. "Yes, I was." I told her. "They kidnapped me, too."

An astringent laugh sounded from her throat. "Oh, see _that_ I can see. She couldn't fight off an ant, she's human."

"No," I cut in, wrinkling my brows in frustration. "No, you don't get it. They're savages in the Fellowship, Ms. Flanagan. They_ would _have killed one of you if Godric hadn't offered himself to them. He did that to save another Vampire from having that same fate. I was with him, it wasn't like he was fed or anything. He _was_ a prisoner. If it was a younger Vampire who knows—"

"What do you know about Vampires?" Nan interrupted. Her eyes danced from me to Eric before narrowing her eyes. "You fuck one of them and suddenly know everything about us?"

My fingers curled into my hand as my anger escalated. "No. But I saw the _human_ behaviour of those around me while Godric and I were in that basement and it was terrible. He was being a noble Vampire by offering himself off to those people. He allowed himself to be kidnapped so more of your kind could survive. It would have been a bigger mess if he'd fought against them. He was saving lives and you're chastising him for that?" I asked in disbelief. I finally looked at Godric only to see he was looking at me with the smallest of smiles on his face. I couldn't find it in me to give him a smile back, though. What they were doing to him was just ridiculous; he didn't deserve it at all.

"He risked _everything_ by doing that!" She argued. "You are in no place to say a word in this. Godric showed nothing more than piss poor judgement!"

Eric stood up abruptly and moved to attack the obnoxious woman just as Isabel and I stood up. I grabbed his arms and put all the strength I had in pushing against him. He could have pushed me away in a second flat, but I was grateful he didn't. "Eric," Godric muttered. "It doesn't matter."

I felt Eric's shoulders fall forward as he backed down. I dared myself to look up at him in that moment only to see he was looking at me carefully. I nodded at him reassuringly before taking my previous seat beside Sookie who instantly gave me a sad smile as I sat back down.

"Tell me about the bombing, please. Every single detail."

I looked up at Godric and watched as he nodded his head. "A boy walked into the lair," he began. "I thought he was someone's human companion. When he opened up the jacket he was wearing to reveal the bomb," he looked up and our eyes met. In that brief instance I felt a sudden sadness so deep that I felt my hands quiver from the intensity of it all. That _void_ he'd told me about was as clear as day right then and it broke my heart to see Godric in such a way. "I grabbed Katerina before the bomb detonated."

Nan looked at me just as Godric looked towards Eric. "I assume _you're_ Katerina?"

I nodded quietly. "I went to get some water for Sookie when it happened."

Nan didn't seem to care, she simply looked back at Godric. "Go on."

"When I was certain Katerina wasn't injured in the blast, I saw what was left of Stan." He paused to gather his thoughts before looking back at Nan. "Both he and the boy were killed."

A moment of silence fell amongst us, but it didn't last very long. Nan clicked her tongue and observed all of us. "What a fucking fiasco. You're lucky I don't send you all to the majaster. Godric, come to my suite and fill out the forms."

He nodded. "Soon." He appeased. "First I have something to say." He looked up from the ground and looked up at all of us. The second his eyes caught mine – even if it was just for the briefest second – I knew something was going to happen. "I'm sorry. I apologize for all the harm I've caused. For all our lost ones - human and vampire - I will make amends." My stomach churned at his words. Something wasn't right. "I swear."

Images of the dream – my first precognitive dream – began hammering through my skull. Godric was comforting a grieving Eric. I looked up at Eric and noticed he was in the same clothes he had been in the dream; Godric, too. "No," I whispered quietly, gaining the attention of Sookie beside me.

"What is it?" she asked, seemingly the only one who had heard me.

My mind was buzzing, my throat was tight. Something was going to happen – and it was going to happen soon. "Eric," I muttered, just as Nan began to address Godric again. "Eric." His blue eyes caught mine. He looked outraged at first, but the look on my face was obviously enough to deter him for just a moment. "Something's not right." I muttered, just as everyone behind me stood up to leave. His brows creased in confusion. "The dream." I couldn't gather enough brain power to mutter a complete sentence and it was driving me nuts. "The dream. The first dream I had about Godric and you," I finally told him, panic sinking in. "It's tonight." He blinked slowly. Another flash image of the both of them on a roof tore me away from reality and I was left whirling. "A roof," I pushed out, concentrating on the pictures flying through my head. "He…he and you are on a roof and – you're crying and…"

That was apparently all Eric needed to hear. He understood everything in that instance. He quickly moved me aside and walked right up to Godric, stopping him from going any further. "No." He demanded.

Godric seemingly understood Eric's double sided claim and gently shook his head. "Look in my heart." He told him quietly.

"You have to listen to me." Eric proclaimed, his jaw clenching nervously.

"There's nothing to say."

"There is."

Godric's eyes flickered towards me as if he knew everything before slowly looking back at Eric. "On the roof."

Eric froze instantly. "No!" I pushed out, swallowing hard as Godric walked past me. I walked up to Eric and ensured he was looking at me before I gave his arm a quick squeeze. I'd give him a moment to calm down, but I wasn't allowing Godric to go through his plans. With one last glance at Eric I ran after Godric and grabbed onto his wrist. It was wickedly cold to touch and as he turned around he looked so worn. "You can't do this Godric."

"You may go, Isabel," he smiled politely as Isabel who looked on in confusion. When he was sure she was gone, he looked back at me, that same smile on his lips. "I've grown tired of all of this, Katerina," he told me quietly before beginning to walk up to the elevator.

I gulped, swallowing back the lump in my throat. "No! No, _please_, Godric." I begged him, trying to step in front of him. "Don't do this."

He pressed the elevator button and my heart sank. "You've seen this before." He mused, staring our reflection on the mirrored doors of the elevator.

I ignored him. "Don't do this, Godric. You can't leave all of these Vampires like this, they need you."

"I've never met a Seer like you before." He told me just as the doors opened for him to get inside. He stepped in despite my ramblings, but I followed him right inside. "You're special, Katerina."

My stomach was in knots and I knew I had tears in my eyes. "Stop!" I cried out in disbelief. "Stop talking about that. _Please_, Godric, you can't do this."

He kept his stare straight ahead, but I knew he was watching us in the reflection of the interior. "Do you remember what I told you about being void, Katerina?" he asked, watching me vigilantly. I slowly nodded my head. "I lost my family many, many years ago. I was lonely. I murdered people when I was hungry, and I murdered people when I thought it would make me feel something again." A hidden smile broke out across his lips. "It wasn't until I had a companion, until I found a _son, _that the void seemed bearable." He looked at me and gently touched my arm. "Eric cares for you."

"He loves you, Godric," I whimpered out. "Isabel, Sookie, me…we all care for _you_."

The smile never left his face as the elevator door opened up. We were only five steps away from the roof now. "And I will go, knowing that I have felt love in all of you." He stepped forward and walked up those five stairs.

I watched as he walked to the middle of the roof but I couldn't take a step closer to him. I lingered just above the stairs, watching him sadly. He slowly turned to look at me after looking at the tops of the buildings around us. "You will look after him?"

I wasn't sure what it was, but as soon as those words escaped his lips my tears stopped. I wanted to cry and cry and beg him some more, but it was like my body knew that I had to stay strong right then and there. For Eric. "I will." I vowed, not letting my eyes fall away from his.

"I trust you." He said with a bigger smile. Not a second later did the door at the bottom of the stairs open up to reveal a distraught but tough looking Eric. I moved aside as he briskly walked over to Godric; all three of us knew what was coming and still my stomach churned at the idea of such a kind soul fading away.

Godric was my comfort in the church, he was Eric's maker – Godric was Godric. I'd only met him a week or so ago and still the idea of watching Godric slip away felt absurdly wrong.

Eric stood before Godric and swallowed hard. "Two thousand years is enough." Godric told him.

I heard quiet footsteps walk beside me and I noticed it was Sookie. She looked at me sadly and gently reached forward to touch my shoulder. All I could do was nod at her before looking back at Eric and Godric. "I can't accept this." Eric growled. "This is insanity!"

"Our existence is insanity," Godric told him. "We don't belong here."

"But we _are_ here!" Eric's voice quivered and it didn't go unnoticed by any of us.

Godric looked up at him desolately. "It's not right. We're not right."

It was strange seeing a man so big and strong, so powerful – slowly crumble before you. He was a boy wanting his friend, his _family_ to stay with him for even a moment longer. He would be lost without Godric. "You taught me there is no right or wrong. With survival," he seemed to take a moment to ensure his voice didn't crack. "Or death."

"I told a lie, as it turns out." That was another sight I wished to never see again. Such a graceful being suddenly so dejected, so tired of the world around him that he felt it was his time to go. The sight playing out before me was enough to break your heart.

Eric stepped forward, his voice rising. "I will keep you alive by force."

"Even if you could," he muttered, looking up at Eric despairingly. "Why would you be so cruel?"

"Godric, icke gör det." _Godric, don't do it. _He whimpered.

"Vi har haft århundranden av kärlek och tillit till varandra." _There are centuries of faith and love between us_.

The second those words left Godric's mouth, Eric broke down. It was just like my dream. He was breaking down before all of us; his hard exterior long forgotten. I swallowed hard as bloody tears streamed down his cheeks. "Glädja, glädja." _Please, please_. He sobbed, falling to his knees. "Glädja, Godric."

He sobbed at Godric's feet and he seemed to stiffen considerably at that. He swallowed, staring just beyond Eric. "Fader. Broder. Son." He slowly looked down at Eric's mourning and clenched his jaw. "Let me go."

Eric's sobbing stopped just long enough for him to slowly look up at Godric. I blinked and saw the dream in my head only to open my eyes and see it was now a reality. "I won't let you die alone." He vowed strongly.

Godric nodded and stole a quick glance at me before peering down at Eric. "Yes you will." Eric's shoulders fell forward as his sobs became him yet again. Slowly, Godric reached forward and place his hand on top of Eric's head. At the sudden contact, Eric looked up from the ground and into the eyes of his maker. "As your maker," Godric pushed out the smallest of smiles but it only lasted for a moment. "I command you."

The sky was getting lighter now as Eric hesitantly stood up to his full height, towering over the three of us. He looked down at Godric one last time before turning around to walk back towards Sookie and I. I reached out for his hand and held onto it for dear life. I didn't want Eric to be by himself, but I didn't want Godric to die alone, and I knew Eric didn't either.

"Katerina," all three of us snapped our heads over towards Godric who was watching the sun slowly begin to rise. "Go with him."

I nodded and looked to Sookie. "I'll stay with him for as long as it takes." She vowed to Eric. He nodded and stole one last glance at Godric before hesitantly going down the stairs, gripping my hand all the way down.

It was odd taking those last few steps away from Godric. That would be the last time Eric would see his maker. It hit me then, that as Eric walked us silently to the elevators that in just a few moments Godric would be gone. The boy who haunted my dreams, talked to me in the basement of the Fellowship – the _man_ who saved all of those people just a day ago…would be gone.

Eric let go of my hand once we'd touched down at the hotel room and disappeared into the bathroom. I hard a few quiet sobs escape him as soon as he thought he was in safe quarters. I frowned and looked at the clock on the wall; 6:08am.

That meant the sun was up and Godric was gone.

_Goodbye Godric_.

**A/N. This has taken me a LONG time to write. I didn't abandon this story; I've just been working on this chapter for a few days now. I'm nervous. It's such a crucial chapter, but I hope I did it justice. There will be a lot more of Eric's emotions and what-not in the next chapter so not to worry. I hope you guys enjoyed this and thank you to all of you for the alerts, reviews and favourite's. They mean a lot! x **

**P.S. Updates should be a lot faster now that this chapter is out of the way. Maybe not a chapter every day, but I'm hoping every second to third day!**


	20. A Nightmare

"Eric," I tapped on the bathroom door very gently, almost afraid of the response I would receive. "Eric, can I come in?" If it had been any other situation, any other person, I would have pushed just a little harder to get in there. But it wasn't just another person, another bleak situation – it was Eric in there; grieving over the loss of Godric.

It was still very strange to think about. I'd only known Godric for a short period of time and yet the idea of him being gone felt weird. Cruel.

"Leave me, Katerina." Was Eric's solemn reply, but I could hear the venom laced with his words. "Now."

"I won't," I assured him, knowing that was the last thing he wanted to hear. "Just unlock the door." I tried the handle after a moment to see if by some extraordinary chance he'd done just that, but it didn't budge. I sighed and let my hand fall down to my side. "Eric, _please_," I mumbled, pressing my forehead against the door. "I just want to see you." I whispered more so to myself, frowning into the pattern of the door.

There was a knock at the door moments later and my heart sank. It was bound to be Sookie, and if it was Sookie that meant Godric was _really_ gone.

"Kat, it's me." _Sookie_.

I shut my eyes instantly and could practically feel the tension inside of that bathroom grow all the more thick. I opened the hotel room slowly only to find Sookie's pained face on the other side. Her eyes asked the question she couldn't and I found myself mutely shaking my head in return.

"Godric's gone," her voice cracked and I could tell she had been crying. "He just…" she broke off and looked down at the carpeted floors beneath us. "He looked like an angel." She whispered, finally looking up to meet my gaze. I nodded but couldn't find the right words to say. I found the words that followed loss weren't important words at all; Sookie of all people understood that, too. "I think I'm going to find Bill, will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine," I promised. "I'll come by a little later, okay?"

We went our separate ways after that. She turned and went back to her room and I slowly made my way back into Eric's. I was shocked to see his tall frame sitting on the edge of the bed as soon as I opened up the door. He didn't move a single muscle when I walked into the room he simply continued to sit there, staring holes into the carpeted floors beneath us. I could see the remnants of his bloody tears in the corners of his eyes and the stains of them down his pale cheeks; he looked so broken, so lost.

"You dreamt of this." He said, still not looking up to meet my eyes.

I shuffled my feet beneath me, not moving from my place. "I did, yeah."

"All of it?" he asked, his tone never changing. It made me nervous as all hell, his tone. It sounded so monotone, so indifferent, but I knew he was waiting to strike. That's how Eric was.

"No," I began, "I told you. I saw you both on a rooftop and you had bloody tears streaming down your face and Godric was talking to you. I didn't see him…I didn't see him dying."

"You never told me about the blood, Katerina." He said, slowly looking up to meet my stare. My heart began to hammer painfully against my ribs; the look he was giving me was not a look I'd seen in a very long time. He looked angry, catastrophic. "Not once had you mentioned that part of your dream."

I opened my mouth with a retort but closed it. I hadn't. I hadn't told him I'd seen him cry in my dream. "Eric, I—" before I could even attempt to finish my sentence, I felt his cold hand around my neck. He pressed me into the nearest wall and ensured he had a vice grip on both my neck and my waist so I couldn't move an inch. "Don't—" I managed to croak out; I could feel the veins in my neck and forehead begin to swell from lack of oxygen. "Eric," I rasped out, trying to dig my nails into his whitened knuckles. "Eric, let me go!"

His blue eyes searched my face for what felt like an eternity before he let his fingers fall from around my neck. I instantly fell to the ground and took in the biggest gulp of air I could breathe in. "I told you to _never_ touch me like that again." I whimpered out, not daring to look up to meet his hardened stare. I scrambled up to my feet the second I caught my breath and instantly walked over towards my bag. I threw it on the bed and instantly began to throw all of my belongings inside; shoes, my wallet, underwear – everything.

If he was going to continually treat me like a punching bag for him to take his anger out on, I was gone.

"I won't let you leave." I heard him say, but it came out no louder than a whisper.

I didn't say a word to him, I simply continued to fill up my bag with anything I possibly could. I knew he was staring at me as I did so, I could feel those blue coals burning into the back of my head, watching my every move. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that part of my dream, Eric." I spat, tears welling in my eyes from both the realization of Godric's death and knowing a part of Eric, the man I'd truly started to care for, blamed me for it. I stopped packing for a moment and quickly swept my long hair up into a ponytail. "But I'm tired. I'm tired of being attacked by you, by Ian, by a freakin' church!" I tied up the ponytail and brushed a few tears away from my eyes. "I'm just tired. And I wanted to be there for you, I really did. I promised Godric I would but for God's sake I can't do this if—" I stopped my talking immediately upon feeling his chilled fingers on my collarbone

He slowly walked around so that he stood before me, his eyes much different now than they ever were. They weren't hollow or blank, they weren't cruel or void – they were surprisingly meaningful. His finger gently trailed up from my collarbone towards the swells of Godric's bite, still relatively fresh. But rather than look at the bite marks, he didn't dare look away from my own stare. "I won't keep doing this, Eric," I whispered, meaning every word of it.

"Then leave." He said, tracing the bite marks.

"I will."

He shook his head. "You won't."

"I will, Eric."

"You won't." He dropped his hand from my neck and let it fall onto my shoulder. "You won't leave me."

The way he said it broke my heart. It didn't sound cocky or arrogant, he didn't sound self-assured in the least. It was as if he was asking me, almost pleading with me to stay with him. Like my words, for once, actually hit home. "You need your sleep, Eric," I rasped out after a few minutes of just standing there. "Its morning now and you need to sleep."

But his hold on me didn't falter. "You'll stay with me." He said, tilting his head down to ensure he held my gaze. "Yes?"

I swallowed hard knowing any conviction I had in the matter was slowly dwindling away. "One more time, Eric. One more time and I'm gone." He nodded but didn't say a word. I sighed quietly and looked at the remnants of tears he still had in the corners of his eyes before gently reaching forward to pull up the hem of his black shirt. "Let's lay down." I told him once I'd placed his shirt on the ground beneath us.

He nodded and curled his fingers through mine, gingerly walking us towards the bed. At first he lingered at the end of the king-sized bed and watched as I buried myself beneath the covers. Slowly, I watched as he matched my actions and crawled into the bed beside me. "Du er min." _You are mine. _He whispered, just like he had the previous night.

I craned my neck to the side to look at him only to see he was staring up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. It was strange how a man of his strength, a Vampire of his age could look so positively grief stricken in the blankest way possible. It was sick how I almost preferred his cocky arrogance than this blank canvas beside me.

Slowly, I rolled onto my side and propped myself up on my elbow to look down at him. "Sova, Eric." _Sleep, Eric_. I mumbled before leaning down to kiss his icy lips. I pulled away and turned around to face the opposite wall, all before feeling his heavy arms wrap around my waist.

"Don't leave me, Katerina." Was all he whispered before I felt something cold drip onto my cheek. I furled my brow and hesitantly reached up to touch it only to see it was blood. _His _blood; his tears.

I blinked and tenderly brought his knuckles up to my lips. "I won't." I vowed. "Now sleep."

* * *

_They were crazed._

_Their eyes were all glazed over and black; pure charcoal. I could see them all, everybody. Arlene, Tara, Terry – the people of Bon Temps, my friends – they were all crazy. _

_I could see flames and dancing, chanting and laughing but it wasn't normal. None of this was normal. _

_Then, seemingly stepping out from behind the flames was a woman whose face I'd seen before. Maryanne something or other, Tara's friend. "You intrigue me, Sookie Stackhouse." _

_With furled brows I look to my left and see Sookie standing there with a look of pure outrage on her face. Outrage and fear. "And you disgust me! What do you want?" _

_But Maryanne's eyes drifted over to me. She looked right into them and smiled. "You're both very special girls, I know you know that." The way her eyes pierced through me, they looked right into my soul. "Imagine the things we could do. The things we could accomplish. Imagine," she looked back at Sookie now, "what we could attain from all of this, girls." _

_She brought out a dagger and on instinct I moved backwards only to feel a set of strong arms wrap around my waist, holding me stationary. "Let me go!" I grumbled, looking up at the face only to see it was none other than Larry Bobbins; a man who would always come into Merlotte's with his wife. But now, now his eyes were black…just like the rest of them. I looked everywhere for Sam but I couldn't find him. My gut instinct told me he was in trouble, that he needed help. Where was he?_

_When I looked forward again, Maryanne was standing right in front of me with a sinister smile on her face. "I'm afraid your little power will only get us in trouble though, Katerina." _

"_Trouble? How would—" Sookie began to ask but was interrupted when Maryanne's slender fingers drove the narrow dagger directly into my chest. "No!"_

I woke up covered in sweat and gasping for air. "Shit." I cursed as the searing pain in my chest followed me into real life. I looked down only to see there was a deep crimson stain right above my left breast – right where I'd been stabbed in the dream.

Panic sunk in first, panic and utter fear. "Eric," I croaked out, my hands trembling as the blood continued to pool. "Eric!"

His eyes opened instantly and upon smelling the blood, his fangs slithered out from his gums. "Who did this?" he seethed, his words muffled by his teeth.

"No one," I muttered in confusion. "I mean, Maryanne – but it was a dream!"

Eric ripped the thin cotton material of my shirt clear off of my torso and instantly inspected the area around the blood. Before he had a chance to clean up the mess, he'd sliced into his wrist and shoved it towards my lips. He didn't have to tell me what to do as the pain grew and the blood continued to spill.

I drank from him like I had several other times, only this time, upon seeing the fear and confusion behind his blue eyes, this time seemed much more surreal. I could feel the velvet slip down my throat and the pain eventually stop, but the frenzied look in Eric's eyes never ceased. "What just happened?" I asked in shock.

"I was hoping you could tell me." He admitted, his fangs still glistening.

"I-I," I was stammering like a fool trying to comprehend what had just happened. "I had a dream about Maryanne and…everyone's eyes were black." I furled my brows as I tried to recollect the dream. "Sookie was there and we were back in Bon Temps, but everyone was…" I wasn't making sense and it was driving me crazy. "Their eyes were black. Like…they were under a spell or something, Eric. And Maryanne was telling Sookie and I that she could use us, but then changed her mind and said something about me getting in the way of things and then…" I looked at the closed wound on my chest and stared at it in amazement. "She stabbed me. Right where I was bleeding just a few seconds ago."

"That doesn't make any sense," Eric seethed, his fangs still protruding. "How could you be hurt from a dream?"

I looked up to meet Eric's stern face only to think back to the dream. Sam. Where was Sam? "I need to go back to Bon Temps." I told him. "Sam's in trouble."

**A/N: So how many of you lovely folks want to kill me? I KNOW. I know; I'm terrible. It's been way, way too long since an update has even taken place but I've re-watched the third season and caught up on the fourth, so I think I'm over this writers block. I hope so, at least. I should be. **

**But I hope I haven't lost too many of you lovely readers, I can accept it if I have because , honestly let's face it I'm terrible for not updating since April. BUT, my writers block is done and I have a sequel already planned out seeing as how this story will probably be finished within ten chapters!**


	21. Shifter

"Jesus, how long has she been out now?" Jason asked me as the four of us (Bill riding securely in the coffin behind us) rode into Bon Temps.

I looked over at Sookie only to see her head had lulled back into her seat, completely dead to the world around her. "Three hours, at least." I mumbled, rubbing my own tired eyes as I stifled a yawn. "Last night was a long one though, she must be tired." I subconsciously peered down at my chest and instantly recalled the amount of blood I had pooling out of it just hours ago. It _had_ been a long night.

I could feel Jason's eyes on me as we drove down the empty road. "Kat," he spoke quietly and I instantly knew what was coming next. I slowly looked at him only to see his dark eyes were looking lost, like a puppy dog. "If I had known they'd hurt you or Sook, I," he broke off and shook his head. "I wouldn't have been so quick to help Newlin. I mean, I could've killed him, but—"

"I get it, don't worry." I cut in, avoiding talking about the Fellowship all together. I didn't blame Jason Stackhouse for anything. For as long as I'd known Jason, he'd always come across as lost. It made sense that he went off and joined some church that promised happiness, devotion. But he tore himself away from the church just as fast. He gave it all up because it felt wrong. I had to tip my hat off to him. "You had no way of knowing how dangerous they were."

I noticed he lowered his head to his lap but the moment our conversation had dropped, the real world outside of the van came into focus. "What the hell?" I griped, furling my brows as the anarchy of Bon Temps met my field of vision. There were people everywhere. People I knew and cared for marking up the walls of various stores, dancing to no music and, a vision I was sure would not be leaving my head anytime soon, people having sex right there in the middle of the road. "Ew, what are they doing?"

Jason, after following my gaze out the window, swore under his breath and shook Sookie awake. "Holy shit!" he mumbled just as the blonde beside me began to stir awake. "Hey! Isn't that Suzette Rawlands?"

With wide eyes, I pushed Jason back against the seat and peered outside the window only to find that it was indeed Suzette, only she was on her knees sucking off Andrew Purling, a fifty year old janitor who I knew solely from his love for the Merlotte's breakfast special.

"Oh my God, Suzette? Pull over!" I yelped. Seconds later the car came to a screeching halt and before I could think twice, I hopped out of the car and stormed over to my friend. "Suzette?" I tentatively asked, walking up to the preoccupied pair.

"Kat, be careful!" Sookie said, following me out of the car. "This doesn't feel right – something is off."

I felt it too and last night's dream was enough to make me feel even wearier than ever before. Call it PTSD but after waking up from a stab wound given to me in a dream, I was a little on edge. "Suze?" I try again, approaching the busy duo.

"Kat, Sook's right," Jason muttered. "I mean, I'm all for…well, that…but something still ain't right about _that_."

I took a step closer to them but stopped as soon as Suzette turned to face me. It was as if a brick had hit me square in the face. What were once a pair of bright blue eyes, were now jet black like two coals; even the whites of her eyes were black. They were the colour of emptiness, of death – they were the eyes of the possessed, of the people who stabbed me in my dream.

I stepped away from them immediately, nearly taking down Jason in the process before Sookie joined us. "What's wrong with their eyes?" she asked just as her cell began to ring. "Hold on," she flipped open her phone upon seeing Lafayette's name sprawled across her Caller ID. "Lafayette?"

I focused my attention back to Suzette only to find that she was still staring at me with those dark, dark eyes. "Suze?" I asked, ensuring the three of us kept our distance. "You okay?"

Without saying a word, Suzette threw her head back and started to laugh maniacally. Seconds later, the older man joined in and before we knew it they were back at it, screwing each other in the middle of the street. "What the hell is going on?" Jason asked, grabbing my arm to ensure I backed away from the pair once more. "This is fucked, this ain't right! Did ya see their eyes? They were like a, like a…"

"Sam." I whispered as that strange tingling sensation from last night began to sizzle me right through to my core. "We have to find Sam."

"Merlotte?" Jason asked, keeping an eye on Sookie who had stepped away from us to talk to Lafayette. "Sweetcheeks, there's no guarantee he won't be lookin' like that when we find him."

I shook my head and walked back to the car only to remember that my cell phone had been lost in the initial kidnapping at the pit. "Shit!" I cursed, jogging back over to Jason. "Give me your phone!"

He wasted absolutely no time in handing me over his phone and before I could think twice, I was punching in Sam's number. It rang a few times in my ear, one, two three times – voicemail. _Shit!_ "No, something's wrong. I can feel it."

"Kat, what is it?" Sookie asked as she walked back over to Jason and I. "Who are you calling?"

I hung up the phone and shoved it back in Jason's hands. "Sam. Why was Lafayette calling?"

Sookie straightened up and shook her head. "It's Tara…" she said no more but Jason and I understood. When it came to Tara, I knew where the Stackhouse's stood. "I told him I'd be down there in fifteen, he needs my help."

Jason eyed his sister carefully. "Is there anything I can do?"

She looked up and gave him a gentle smile. "No, Jason, it'll be fine. I'll just get the driver to drop me off at home and then I'll be on my way."

I could see the apprehension in Jason's eyes and the worry of it etched across the lines of his face. He knew better than anyone that Sookie had a knack for getting herself in sticky situations. Trouble was a sickly sweet friend to Sookie Stackhouse, it crept up on her like a moth to a flame.

"Sook, just let Jason come with you to Lafayette's, you know it'll make him feel better." I said, my nerves getting the better of me as I thought about Sam. Something was going to happen and it was going to happen tonight, everything in my entire being told me so. "But you listen to me, Sook, you see Maryanne at _all_, you stay the hell away from her, okay? I mean it, don't let her get to you."

The blonde looked at me with a fight behind her brown pools, but before she could argue with me I shook my head and began walking towards an abandoned pick-up truck a few yards away. "I'll be fine, and we'll meet up later but I have to find Sam." Images of last night's dream flooded into my head but I forced them down; my nerves were already shot, I didn't need to be dwelling on last night's events.

"Katerina!" Sookie yelped as she jogged up to me. "What the _hell_? Were you stabbed last night?"

_Fuck! _"Sookie, how many times have I told you to stay out of my head?" I had told her about the dream, told her everything about it besides the fact that I had woken up bleeding from a stab wound given to me by Maryanne. She didn't have to know about that part, it would only worry her.

"You tell me _right now_, Katerina Prekovich!"

Jason joined us a few seconds later, eyeing me in concern and absolute confusion. "You were stabbed last night? Are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. And _no, _I didn't get stabbed last night. Not really, anyway." Neither of them said a word but judging by the impatient expression on Sookie's face, I knew she was waiting to hear more. "I don't know what happened," I admitted sheepishly. "I was asleep with Eric at the hotel and I was dreaming about what I told you earlier and before I knew it, that crazy bitch Maryanne was stabbing me in the chest and I woke up bleeding. Bad."

Jason blinked, confusion melting into disbelief. "Wait, so let me get this straight – you had a dream where you got stabbed…and then you woke up bleeding?" I shrugged and lowered my head to the ground. "Well shit, am I the only normal one in this town?"

"Jason!" Sookie scolded before looking back at me. "Does Eric know about this?"

"Of course he does," I muttered. "But he doesn't understand it either. _I_ don't even know what happened, but I do know Sam's in trouble. Please, Sook, _please_ just remember what I said about Maryanne. Don't trust her no matter what she says."

She must have seen the seriousness on my face because instead of fighting me as she would have any other day, she nodded and looked back to our car. "I'll call Merlotte's in two hours, okay? And so help me, Katerina, if you need help just—"

"I'll let you know." I promised. "Now, go."

"I'll swing on down to Merlotte's after I drop Sook off, ya hear me?" Jason said, walking backward towards our car. "Don't, uh, don't fall asleep. Ya ever seen that movie with Freddie Krueger? Maybe that's what—" Sookie smacked the back of his head and grabbed his shirt to shut him up which only made me smile. However, before I wasted another minute lingering on the streets of Bon Temps, I ran to the old Ford only to breathe a much needed sigh of relief. The keys were still in the ignition.

Without a second though, I hopped into the old truck and keyed it to a start. Not a second later, the truck came roaring to life and off I went in the direction of Merlotte's. It was strange speeding through the narrow streets of Bon Temps, strange and eerie. There were hardly any people out enjoying the sunny afternoon as there would have been any other day but those who were out, weren't the same people they were just days prior. These black eyed creeps were under a spell, Maryanne's spell. Whether she was some sort of witch or just bat shit crazy, I had absolutely no idea but whatever it was she did to this town, I could sense it was far from over.

I made it to Merlotte's in ten minutes flat and hopped out of the old car even faster. There were tire marks in the parking lot, a clear sign of some idiot doing donuts in the gravel and they were relatively fresh, too. Had this whole town gone to shit because of this woman? Hesitantly, I walked over to the front door and gently pushed it open. When I saw that no crazies appeared to be dining on flesh or having sex in the middle of the floor, I crept in and let my eyes rake over the familiar décor. "Sam?" I whispered, being sure to keep an eye out for any movement. "Sam?"

Before I could even comprehend it, I could feel the cold barrel of a shotgun pressing into the back of my head. Panic sunk in first, followed by anger. I'd escaped and made it all the way home and _this_ was how it was going to end? Shot up in an old bar?

"Prove it's really you." I heard a familiar voice say. _Sam!_ An immediate sigh of relief flooded over me. "You could look at my eyes if you really wanted proof, but considering I was in Texas when this town went to shit, I think it's safe to say I'm not one of them."

It took a second but slowly, I felt the barrel move away from my head. "Kat?" Sam asked, sounding unsure of himself.

I turned and was immediately met with my boss' relieved face. "Sam!" I breathed out. "You're okay!" I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. "Fuck, you had me scared to death!"

"_You?_" I heard him ask as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "I got a call a week and a half ago from Sookie asking if I'd seen you and then one a few days later telling me you'd been kidnapped." His tender eyes softened considerably as his shoulders fell forward. "Kat, where the hell have you been?"

I wanted so desperately to tell him every detail of it, but there were much bigger things that needed to be dealt with. "We can talk about that another day," I promised. "First you need to tell me what the hell is going on here."

He breathed out a loud sigh and fell back against the pool table in pure exhaustion. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I don't even know where to begin."

I eyed him for a moment, noting his tired features and shaky hands. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days. "Sam, I've seen enough these last few weeks to know whatever I did supposedly believe in was only a fraction of what's really out there." He looked up at that, his eyes thoughtful. "Trust me, I'll believe you."

He brought up a shaky hand and rubbed at his eyes. "Maryanne, that _bitch_ whose been making her rounds in town for the last few months, has this town under some sort of spell. It's makin' everyone crazy." He sighed and shook out his unruly brown hair. "She's controllin' them and half this town's been looking for me for a few days now."

"What better of place to hide out than your own bar?" He looked up at me and I smirked across at him. "No one would ever suspect you there, right?"

"I only got here this morning, smart ass." He said with his own tired half-smile. "Been hidin' out wherever I can for the last few days, I only came back here cause I figured they'd already checked here. Why'd they check again?" He looked around the bar and shook his head. "Bastards really made sure to fuck it up, too. The walls of Merlotte's have seen better days, that's for sure." He bent down and picked up a bar stool that had been knocked over.

"Here," I, too, bent down to begin to pick up some of the disregarded furniture. "Let me help."

He didn't argue with me as the two of us fell into a quiet round of cleaning. We did this for a few minutes before I looked up at him from the corner of the bar. "How come they're all looking for you?" I asked as his words finally sunk in. Slowly, with his shoulders squared, he faced me but his eyes were still downcast. "You said they were all looking for you. Why?"

Sam swallowed hard. "Maryanne was a part of my past, I guess we have some cold blood between us." He explained, not daring to look me in the eye. "Simple as that."

I eyed him for a moment before I slowly dropped the garbage back. "You know, I came to Merlotte's because I had this gut-wrenching feeling you were in danger. Turns out you are." He looked up at met my eye. "The whole town supposedly wants you and you seriously think I'm dumb enough to believe it's all because she's some girl from your past?" I walked over to him and gently placed my hand on top of his shoulder. "Tell me what this is about, Sam."

He was quiet for a little while after that but, unlike Eric, I knew there was an answer coming my way. "Maryanne knows a lot about me. About my past and…things that I'm able to do. Let's just say what she has in mind for me will benefit—"

"Sam, what is it?" I cut in.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Why were you so sure I was in trouble?" he asked.

_Shit_. "Call it a gut instinct."

"I call bull-shit, actually. How'd you know?"

With another roll of my eyes, I slowly shook my head and peered around the bar. "I've been dreaming weird things, Sam. Not all the time, but these specific ones I dream about, they happen." I watched his expression carefully, but his expression didn't seem to change. "I dream about things that happen in the future sometimes. Last night, I dreamt that you were in trouble. Lo and behold, looks like I was right."

"So, what, you're some kind of psychic?" he asked.

I blinked. "No. I mean, maybe? I don't know what I am, really. But I said my bit, now it's your turn. Why is she after you?"

Sam, yet again, remained silent as he stared me down. I could see the doubt behind his eyes but he was kind enough not to question me. A small part of him had to have believed me though; there was enough strange things going on in this town – what was one more supernatural being? Slowly, Sam backed away from me and breathed out one final breath of air. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I watched as the man before me transformed into a dog. A dog, ironically enough, I'd seen around Merlotte's quite often.

My eyes were bigger than saucers and on instinct I clumsily fell back against the pool table. "S-Sam?" I questioned, stuttering like a fool. What just happened? Before my eyes, I watched as the cute dog shifted into the man he was before, shifted into Sam.

"What _was that_?" I asked, breathlessly. My heart was hammering against my ribcage so loud I was sure Eric would hear it all the way back at Fangtasia. "What…" I could form no other words. I'd just witnessed my boss, my _friend_ turn into a dog. "I—uh," I bent down and shakily gathered up his clothes. "Here."

He took his pants first and quickly shrugged them back on. "That's all you've got to say?" he asked as he slung his jeans up to his hips. "You just saw me turn into a dog and all you've got to say is '_here_'?"

So it had happened. He _did_ just turn into a dog. "What are you?" was the only thing I could think of asking.

He was buttoning up his plaid shirt now but his eyes never left mine. He was sizing up my reaction and I knew it was time to calm down. He was still Sam, still the same Sam who had helped me out from the moment I moved to town. Sam. "A shifter." He told me after buttoning up the final button. "I'm a shifter."

**A/N LOOOONG TIME, and I'm so so sorry about that! I really am the type of person where I need inspiration to write and for a long time I had absolutely none for this story. BUT, I'm happy to say I really do feel like I'm back with this now. I've been watching the new season, re-watching the others and I have a pretty direct route for Kat and Eric and I'm excited about it!**

**Again, SO sorry that it's taken me this long. I do hope those of you still interested do like this chapter and I promise, the Viking himself WILL be in the next chapter ;) x**


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